The Things We Do

[223shootersc]

Sept 22, 2023 0:34:21 GMT -6 texican said:

Sept 20, 2023 14:44:17 GMT -6 223shootersc said:

A little afternoon MOAR hounds snack! I hope you enjoy and any and all comments are greatly appreciated by a novice writer!

223,

Your chapters are more of a smorgasbord than a snack which the MOAR Hounds devour and appreciate.

Now everyone is getting ready to free the Sheriff's building. Now where is Chapter 16 to do this???

Texican....

Texican,

Actually worked on the chapter a little tonight. Wrote a couple of pages. i hope to work on it a little tomorrow. have to watch my beloved SC Gamecocks tomorrow night though! Hoping for a win! Forever hope with my Gamecocks!

[223shootersc]

MOAR hounds I have written about half of Chapter 16. I hoped to have it finished over the coming week and weekend. With regret work has raised its ugly head and I have to go for a few days to a week to work and try to straighten out a project for my old company in Northern Virginia.

[gipsy]

Hope it involves huge bucks in your pocket

[feralferret]

Sometime work has to come first. Hopefully it will be financially worthwhile. We will be here when you return.

[223shootersc]

Oct 3, 2023 17:30:49 GMT -6 feralferret said:

Sometime work has to come first. Hopefully it will be financially worthwhile. We will be here when you return.

Yeah, it should help with my retirement!

Thanks

[gipsy]

Good to hear

[223shootersc]

A little addition for the MOAR hounds! Hope you all enjoy. My trip to VA has been put off at least till next week and that is a kicker as I had a whitetail hunt scheduled with my BIL. As always your comments are appreciated by the author!

Chapter 16

About forty-five minutes later and nearly a half mile from the Sheriff’s Office, Melvin and his future wife, Father-in-law, and Laurens had re-joined the other members of the Cudd Circle shooters and assault team. Returning to their original hide sites and meeting with Jimmy, Eddie, and Junior to check out where would be the best place to setup the three new shooters with their suppressed weapons. This group was tasked with taking out the three roving DHS guards as they made their rounds around the station. Jimmy replied, “Eddie is already setup and Kevin has picked out a place for Bobby Senior from which he will be able to deliver the third shot on the last member of the roaming guards.”

Eddie said, “We also have setup hides for Jack and Jessica. They will have to adjust them a little to fit their own specific setup and shooting position. On another note, we think that one of the fifty-caliber shooters needs to be locked in on the roof machine gunner with a spotter to take the weapon out if he notices the guards going down and decides to enter the game before we are hoping and planned, he would. The Barrett’s will take him out of the game with any hit. A regular round like a 300 Win Mag may not with a marginal hit or one that hits body armor. Henry and I agree that he has the faster follow up with the M-107 than my bolt action Barrett 95. That is if you agree with our modifications to our original plan.”

Junior joined into the conversation with, “My sister Naomi with the M32 MGL grenade launcher and I with the M-249 are setup a little farther south down the line than we originally proposed in our plan. The reason for this change is twofold. One is it gives us a little more of a flanking and Enfilade position which will maximize our abilities if the DHS troopers decide to come at us from the station. The second reason is it gives us a better angle of attack and puts us as close as we can get to the way the DHS thugs will likely run if the Commander is of the opinion, it is time for him to be elsewhere. We can both place direct suppressive fire on the road and anyone traveling it for about a soccer field in length before they are out of effective range for the weapons.”

Melvin looked to his team with pride and amazement that they had made such excellent adjustments to their original plan. The new plan kept all the Cudd Circle warriors away from direct contact with the DHS Thugs and essentially out of most small arms effective combat ranges. Thinking especially out of the effective range of the DHS officers that carried the H&K MP-5 variants even if they were the ten-millimeter edition. The ten-millimeter variant was what most of the Cudd Circle combatants’ thought was probably the most likely choice since so many of the DHS officers were carrying them. The only contrarian vote was from Henry who had gotten a chance to see and work on a couple of the DHS teams H&K sub-machine guns. Henry told of being ordered to replace a broken extractor and a magazine release on a couple of the H&Ks when they were there for the meetings. Both sub-guns of the DHS he had handled and was ordered to repair fired the common nine-millimeter round and their magazines were loaded with the standard 147-grain subsonic rounds.

Melvin replied, “Sounds like we have a plan that takes into a lot of our concerns and will work on most levels. We need to remember that the DHS Thugs get a vote in how this plan and any alternative plans works or does not work. Have there been any changes in preparedness levels or changes of the guards or the roaming shooters. Heck, have they taken the trash out at an unscheduled time. Any new arrivals or anyone leaving the station? Just anything different? Do we have any reason to think that our presence here has been blown?”

Jack and Jessica who had just been standing and listening finally joined the conversation with Jack asking, “This is all good but could we get to our hides and have someone explain who, what, when, and where to us. Seems like who we are to shoot, when we are to do the shooting, and where are our targets are important pieces of the equation that we are going to be trying to answer. Time is always important cause you said sixteen hundred hours for the changing of the Sniper and spotter teams. We are under and hour to our zero time for the change-out of the two teams and we have a lot to get ready for our shots.”

Melvin said, “My bad. Jack and Jessica. I am going to be the spotter two of you and I will help with the exfiltration. It will be my job to lead y’all to the rally point if we are running and gunning to break contact….”

Stopping for a second, he continued, “Eddie can you get Kevin here to lead them to their shooting positions and I will be with them in a few minutes.”

Eddie replied, “I am on it, Bossman.” Turned and started crawling away from the group heading to get Kevin and bring him back to the meeting.

Back at the Castle; Owen had re-established contact with Zaida’s brother Adan Bonds and his wife Debra. The conversation had started with Owen explaining to Alpha Bravo One that he had two questions supplied by Zebra Bravo One and the answers needed to come back instantly as they were questions, he and only he should know the answers. Adan had agreed to the questions which were the name of his first dog. The reply had came back immediately as requested, “Smurfy, sometimes called Smurfy Girl by my sister.” The answer brought a big smile from his sister and the nodding of her head in the affirmation to her brother’s answer. She had supplied the Smurfy, but the addition of the Smurfy Girl was the kicker. The second question was where her brother had gotten his first real kiss. The reply was the front porch steps of the local Baptist Church during Vacation Bible School when he was fourteen and the young ladies name was Joy Robertson a rising seventh grader. A young lady that was well developed for her age.

Owen keyed radio and asked, “What can Charlie Charlie Tango do for you Alpha Bravo One, comeback?”

Adan answered, “We are parked at the assigned runway and awaiting a pathfinder for our personal guided tour of your tourist attraction and RC Airplane park. That would be our request, Charlie Oscar One, comeback.”

Elizabeth nodded her affirmative reply to Owen and put up one finger on her left hand and five on her right hand for Owen’s answer. Owen answered, “Zebra Bravo One plus three will be on-station with a tow in twenty-five that is two-five, mikes, comeback”

Adan replied, “I copy two-five mikes for ETA my static location. Will be ready to travel at time of their arrival for pickup and tow, Alpha Bravo One plus one, over and out.”

Elizabeth started, “I am thinking…. Pauline, Zaida, and Patrick for the team driver. The team will take Jessica’s F-550. Owen and Smoke have gotten the armor panels placed into the doors and the back seats. I need all of you loaded for Bear and ready to rock and roll at the drop of a hat. You getting my drift. Now we need to get Trenton out to the OP to replace Patrick and get this show on the road if we are going to be there in fifteen minutes as we told them we were. My second question are we sure he understood the twenty-five was minus ten minutes for our real arrival time?”

Zaida replied, “It was all agreed to in our prior contacts and procedures. They know the deal and they will be waiting and ready to travel. I think we will hardly even have to stop just circle through the back parking lot and pick them up on our six for their trip back to the Castle.”

Pauline said, “I need to get my BOB, my battle belt and Tactical Plate Carrier and I am carrying one of the H&K MP-5SD and my M4 carbine. I will be right back and ready to travel. We probably need to make sure everyone is carrying a canteen or a Camel-Bak hydration system. I have both, a Camel-Bak on my Carrier, and a canteen on my battle belt.” Without waiting for a response from Elizabeth or anyone else Pauline turned away and jogged towards her truck that was only sitting about twenty yards away from the group.

Zaida laughed a little at the look on Elizabeth’s face and said, “I think she must think this is our first rodeo, Ms. Elizabeth. I am getting that you might be thinking the same thing about our newest addition to the Cudd Circle, Ms. Pauline.”

Elizabeth hurrumped and replied, “Nah. Not really. I was thinking who died and left Wonderwoman in charge of the Cudd Circle. I am sure I did not get the email or memo on that change in leadership. Did you?”

Zaida grinned and replied, “Easy Tiger. We all know the Cudd Circle chain-of-command. Melvin, Jimmy, Jessica, and you. Each of you are working to fill the gaps of the others and the order differs at any given time depending on the circumstances. The leadership here is really a flat line with Melvin just a little above the three of you all.”

Elizabeth took a long-exasperated breath and said, “Thanks, I needed that.” In a voice that somewhat mimicked the actor whom delivered the punch line in the old TV commercial for Skin Bracer - aftershave. Her answer letting Zaida know that the Cudd Circle had the right and a righteous leadership. She walked over to where she had laid her gear and hefted her BOB onto her shoulders. Zaida had at the beginning decided that her long gun and her battle belt was like her American Express and clean underwear in days gone by. Something she never left home without.

On her way to retrieve her gear, Pauline was thinking that maybe she needed to chill out a little bit in her responses to the original Cudd Circle members. She could see that they seemed to be good people just trying to stay safe and do the right thing. Her Grandfather and Grandmother had said the same thing about the group before they had died from the bioweapon. It was at that moment she realized why she had been so disrespectful of the Cudd Circle team. The last thing her grandfather had told them before he took his last breath was to call Melvin Cudd and Eddie and see if the offer for them to come was still available. In her own self-righteous rebellion she had fought against running and leaving the farm that her family had worked so hard to maintain for the last hundred plus years. It was time to get her mind right and get on the bus and put her cheeky feelings aside.


As Patrick and his two lady Cudd Circle team members were easing out of the Castle driveway onto the state road; Melvin was settling in beside his future bride and asking if she was ready, he got a quick affirmative smile and nod from Jessica. After patting her on the shoulder he keyed his mic on the open channel and pronounced, “Showtime is ten minutes and counting down Circle. Is there any last-minute thoughts or changes, we need to address…?” Looking back to Jessica, he found her adjusting her rifle scopes parallax with her eye already buried in her scopes eye cup. Thinking he was a lucky man, he brought himself back on task.

Continuing, “Okay, if there is no debate, from my mark the three shooters on the roaming guards have freedom to fire if we have any changes that are noticed in their response or station movements. Jack, you have guard one, Jessica guard two, and Kevin number three. Henry if a hair gets out of place on that machine gunner on the roof you have weapons free. We are not getting anyone hurt because of our rules of engagement. Everyone else has weapons free now specifically if our shooters fire or we are fired upon, if I did not do a good job of communicating the rules of engagement. Jimmy, you have sniper one and his spotter, Eddie, and Laurens you have sniper two and the spotter. If we are firing on their schedule everyone moves to the other sniper team replacement shooters and spotters. That applies to anyone else who decides to join the party is a target of opportunity…. Three, two, one… mark! Weapons free and good hunting.”

A chorus of assertions in various ways came back from the Cudd Circle team members: right bossman, got it, weapons free, yeah and one Kill ‘em all and let God sort them out from Junior and an Amen to her brothers’ words from Naomi. Down the line of shooters and those watching their six and guarding their brothers and sisters of the Circle all got down to the warrior business at hand. Some checking the setting of magazines in their weapons, some checking to make sure they had weapons charged and still others checking to make sure their weapons safety was set to fire. The most common theme of the members was that all were calling on their Lord and God for his guiding hand and protection of themselves and their new family members.

Back across the lake in Laurens County, Patrick pulled into the little church entrance and started to drive around to the back parking lot where they hoped to meet Zaida’s brother and his wife. Patrick turned and looked first to Pauline sitting in the front passenger seat and then into the rear-view mirror for Zaida on making eye contact he reminded the ladies saying, “Everybody be ready to rock and roll. This could be a trap or hopefully a walk in the park. Either way like my uncle always says stand tall and shoot straight with proper aim as you cannot miss fast enough to win a gunfight.”

Pauline looked to the young man who she knew could not be much more than fifteen or sixteen and thought. I sure need to cool my roll; this group has their shite in a sack and knows exactly where they put the sack. There is just no back up or run in the group. My thinking that they had just been lucky and that our group had the warriors and the Cudd’s just had luck. No that was not right. The group might have some luck, but it was because they were prepared and ready to do the hard stuff and finish the task. She checked her safety and replied, “Locked, loaded, and ready to throw down at the first sign of a problem, driver. Please stop before you go around the back of the church and let me get out and I will go to the back corner of the church on foot. Give me twenty seconds to get in position. I will wave when I am ready then swing wide when you follow the drive around the building to the back and that will give us two different angles of attack… Got it?”

She got an affirming nod from Patrick eased the big Ford F-550 series truck to a stop and replied, “Stopping and giving you twenty and will stay wide and out of your line of fire with the truck. If this deal goes to crap, I am going to run all the way around the building and I will pick you up back at the front of the church. Good luck.” Pauline eased her door open and exited the big truck like a wraith, silently closing the door and ghosted around the back of the truck with her SBR leading the way towards the back right hand side corner of the church.

As Pauline was easing into her position on the back side of the church, Adan and his wife were having a quiet argument over weather they had heard someone entering the church grounds. Adan at first telling his wife that he did not think she had heard anyone. Then just as quickly adding that he could hear the purring of a diesel engine just on the other side of the building and they needed to be prepared to fight or run. Both checking their weapons and making eye contact that said I love you to their spouse.

As Patrick was rolling around the corner, Zaida seeing her brother and his wife told Patrick that it was indeed her family. Back on the Greenwood side of the lake the plot was rapidly changing at the Station. Junior came over comms saying, “Charlie Mike One, check to your north we have company coming up the highway. Looks like the one-percenters and gang members that have been stealing and butchering our cows. Comeback.”

Hearing the call from Junior, Melvin leaned up from his prone position and looked to his hard left hoping to see the reason for Junior breaking radio protocol. Seeing what looked like at his first glance to be about twenty motorcycles and a few trucks heading up the road towards town. A path that would take them right past the Sheriff station and the Cudd teams present locations. Melvin’s first thought was that the bunch of trash were coming from the lake and if so, they could be looking for a fight. Since there Chapter at the lake were now charred or fish food. His next thought when he applied logic to the equation was there was no way the bikers and gang members could know that the Cudd Circle had anything to do with the attack at the lake. Taking the logic path one step farther there was no way they knew that the Cudd Circle was here. The logical assumption that Melvin’s analytical brain ascertained was that the gang members were thinking the DHS boys had attacked their playhouse and they were coming for retribution. Quickly thinking he keyed his mike over the all-comms channel and said, “Good eye and heads up, Junior. Everyone, now listen up. If the gangbangers and bikers turn into the Sheriff’s Office an attack the station. I want the team of shooters on the external roaming guards to take them out after the first salvo from the gang members.”

“Henry, stay on the machine gunner and the loader. If he brings fire on the gang let him rip with that machine gun. Get on his loader and take him out. I do not want the machine gunner to fire anymore rounds than his first belt. When he goes to change belts take him out. All other shooters stay on your assigned targets and we will see how this plays out. The last thing we want is to be fighting the DHS and the biker-bangers all at once. Everybody copy?”

Eddie replied, “Staying on target and awaiting further instructions, over.”

Jack replied, “Our team stays on the guards and takes them out as per our orders. Roger.”

Everyone else answered the call from their leader and were ready and waiting to see how this new wildcard would play-out. The Cudd team members did not know what to expect as they had been prepared to shoot and scoot and hopefully put the DHS goons in a situation that they would choose to run away and live to fight another day. Now who knew, it was now a total crap shoot for sure. They could end up with the two groups charging them or it could be a turkey shoot and the goons would take out some of the DHS thugs and the goons some of the DHS. That would be all steak and gravy for the Cudd Circle. The show was about to start and they could only hope that since Muprhy was already making his presence felt that it would be to the Cudd Circles advantage. Hope however is not a good plan as many have stated and witnessed up close and personal in times gone by. It was nearing time to pay the Preacher either way.

Back across the lake at the church after a big hug from Zaida to Adan and his wife, Patrick had ordered Pauline back into the truck. He told Zaida to ride with her brother and sister-in-law and for them to follow his lead. Patrick said, “Pauline, it is time to go. Mount up.” The reminder given a little more forcibly than before from one of the youngest of the Cudd Circle.

Pauline who maybe an hour ago would have reacted very differently. She just looked to her young driver, smiled, and replied, “I’m on it, Patrick….” Then opened the door and jumped into the passenger seat and indexed her SBR out the window. “My bad, Patrick. I was experiencing a bad case of rectal, cranial inversion. You know what I mean?” Seeing the quizzical look on his face as he started the truck rolling out and heading back to the Castle.

As he took the truck around the side of the church, Patrick looked to his passenger and questioned, “Rectal cranial what?”

Pauline smiled a big sweet smile and said, “Rectal cranial inversion. It means I had my head up my ass. A state that I needed to rectify most haste and I am glad you got my attention. Thanks, not bad young man, not bad.” In return she got a big laugh from Patrick and a fist that reached across the front seats of the truck towards her. A fist and a young man that expected a fist bump in return of the pairs new found respect.

As the two new friends were fist bumping and heading back to the Castle at a much faster clip than they had made their journey to the church, back across the river the feces had hit the fan in a spectacular way. The one percenters and gang members had indeed just left what was one of their R&R facilities and found it burnt to the ground and all their fellow members apparently dead from all signs. The large gang not knowing of any other group but the DHS who could have perpetrated the attack on their turf, a quick decision filled with grandiose ideas emerged from the packs drug ladened leadership. The plan was to attack in mass and overrun the Sheriff’s Department station and the DHS officers that had taken over the station. The group deciding to a member they were still the biggest and most feared group in the county. They had contacted the rest of the group at their new clubhouse the big Main Street Baptist church complex downtown. The club leadership in town had promised to send another twenty members to help with their attack on the DHS.

In their rush for revenge and a large amount of Crystal Meth induced machismo the group coming from the lake had decided to go ahead with the frontal attack without their fellow members. Hoping that they could score some bounty before it was split between the other group. With all this in mind the group some thirty plus strong blew into the entrance about eight wide and four deep and their follow on trucks. A frontal assault that would not go down in any history book as being a classic example of how to attack a defensive position. The Russians and Chinese Armies have a battle doctrine that did apply to the assault, ‘Quantity has a quality all of its own’.

The first shots of the battle of the County Sheriffs Department Station were precisely delivered on the frontal assault by the what turned out to be and M-240 machine gun that was manned on top of the station. The gun had a devastating effect on the middle of the first and second group of bikers charging the station. Observing the devastating effect of the machine gun and the DHS Snipers joining into the party on the raiders, Melvin reacted immediately, saying over the all-comms channel of his unit, “Henry, take out that loader on the roof….” Not waiting for an acknowledgement from Henry, he continued, “Jessica, Jack and Bobby take out those roving sentries and Eddie, Laurens, and Jimmy be ready to take out the Sniper teamsssss.”

Melvin even though he was about sixty feet away from Henry felt the percussion wave and sound from the suppressed Barrett M-107a1 fifty-caliber rifle being fired. His brain went into hyper drive and his immediate thought was, what would that sound and percussion been like if the weapon was not suppressed.

As Melvin was pondering sound and wave physics, Henry was riding the recoil wave of the big beauty of a rifle made by a genius in Tennessee and trying to stay on target. Getting back on target just in time to see the loader disappear behind the parapet wall of the station roof-line. Laurens said, “Henry, your shot placement was two inches high of center mass and one left. Good shooting. Did not figure you were able to see your shot placement.”

Henry replied, “Gracias, amigo mio!” Then catching himself he repeated in English, “Thank you my friend. I did not see my placement.”

At almost that same moment right beside Melvin, Jessica’s Bergara Premier MgLite in 300 WinMag fired releasing a 185 grain hand-loaded ballistic tipped projectile at almost 3050 fps. Jessica had taken a few seconds to re-find her target roving guard number two. She had flinched and pulled off her scope, losing sight of her target when the M-240 had commenced firing on the bikers and gang members as they charged the station. When she had gotten back on her rifle scope target number two had disappeared from her field of view. Doing a methodical fifty square foot grid search from his last known location she finally found him in the once manicured flower bed along side the entrance walkway to the front of the building. The guard had gone prone not five feet front his last known location and was using the slight rise in the bed and the flowers as concealment and hopefully cover. The guard was delivering fire to the frontal attack of the gang members. Approximately three quarters of a second after the Bergara was fired the forehead of the guard jerked backwards violently as if being hit by an NFL linebacker. The 300 Win Mag projectile entering just left of centerline above the nose over the left eyebrow. The projectile detoured a little right on impact with the skull. The slightly deformed bullet blew out the back of the twenty-four-year-old DHS agents head leaving a softball sized exit hole, digging into the dirt behind the dead body of the agent.

During the first forty-five seconds of the attack on the Sheriffs office the roof machine gunner, along with the two Sniper teams and the roving guards were decimating the gang members. It was at that point that Junior came over the comms saying, “Melvin, look to your right we have more bikers and gang members about to enter the Areana. Do you have orders for our heavy weapons teams?”

Looking quickly to his right, he witnessed what was almost an evil twin to the first thing he had seen when Junior had told him to look to his left. He witnessed another twenty or so bikers and a couple of technical that were already firing their weapons towards the station. This group however decided to get off the highway and charge the station across the open lawn on the left side of the building. While watching the raiders attack from his right side he heard another sound that drew his attention. A second machine gun had started firing at the attackers along with at least three more Snipers and a couple of riflemen from the roof of station. Thinking fast he spoke over the comms saying, “Everybody we have two choices here. We can sit and watch and hope that the bikers and the DHS thugs kill of each other. I think we can probably do that at this point and neither team will know that we exist. The other choice is we start attacking both groups and hopefully neither will live to attack us. I am open for suggestions….”

Just as he was finishing his dialogue, Bobby Senior’s borrowed rifle in .257 Weatherby Magnum announced its addition to the carnage at play across the road from their hides in the tree line. Before anyone could react to the round being fired merely a second later Bobby pronounced, “I am sure I just took out one of the DHS leaders. He was looking out the side door of the building and only had it open about four inches. I guess he thought no one could see him. I had a perfect angle for the shot. I am pretty sure it was the guy who took out my wife. Praise the Lord…!”

Catching his breath and trying to calm down from his elation of making the shot on his wife’s killer, he asked, “Now what was that you were saying, Melvin? I did not catch it, I was concentrating on my sight picture and breathing.”

Just moments before inside the Sheriff’s Office the Department of Homeland Security Captain was gathering his Sergeant and his second. The captain said, “Okay, guys! I think it is time for us to head to Columbia and the safe heaven promised by the TSA at the airport….”

Waiting for any rebuttal from his two cronies, the three DHS team members heard the smack of a bullet hitting flesh followed by the hard thump of the 2IC’s body hitting the floor. The trio raced towards the noise and found their young fellow officer dead with brain matter and bodily fluids all over the door and floor where his now soulless and cooling body laid. If there had been any questions before for the trio they were erased by the sight of the gory still form of the lieutenant. The sergeant said, “Captain, I think you are right. Now Jones you need to get the captain and the others to the HUMVEE and the five-ton. I will be right behind you. I need to take care of a little unfinished business with that bastard Sheriff and his wife.”

The Captain asked, “Sergeant, do you think all that is necessary?” Knowing the answer, before he even uttered the question.

With a criminal’s evil grin of contempt, the Sergeant replied, “Yeah, it is necessary. He knows everything. The killing, the women, and the stealing. Besides if he had of given up his fellow officers and that Cudd fellow when we first got here, we would not have lost so many good people since we have arrived in this god forsaken place. That and his superior attitude he has had from the beginning like he was better than us. Hell, he was living in his office and eating the MREs we delivered to the County when we arrived to save him and his ugly wife.”

Apparently finished the Sergeant abruptly turned and headed towards the Sheriff’s Office. The only place where him and his wife had been forced not to leave for the last week and a half. They were only able to come out to eat and use the bathroom. They were not exactly prisoners just not able to come and go as they pleased. The captain had explained it to the Sheriff and his wife that it was for their own safety. He implied that it was from outside forces like the gangs but both the Sheriff and his wife realized the only thing that was really keeping them alive was the hope of the DHS agents that he could deliver the BOL of Melvin Cudd to his captors.

The DHS captain and the second headed out to round up the other four members of their group. Right after recovering from the Sergeant’s brusque departure to take care of his planned dirty deed. They knew exactly where they would fine the two drivers of the HUMVEE and the five-ton. Both had been assigned earlier to make sure that both vehicles were reading to leave at a moment’s notice and that none of the other members of the DHS team could take them. The pair agreed to separate with the non-comm officer heading towards the locker room where he thought he would find his brothers in arms. The captain heading out the back door directly towards the HUMVEE after picking up his ten-millimeter H&K MP5SD/10 and his day-pack. Upon getting within ten yards of the pair of officers he hollered over the den of automatic gunfire for them to get the vehicles fired up and ready for transit. The captain ran directly to the up-armored HUMVEE and got into the vehicle and slammed the door. The running scared captain did not even wait on the driver’s reply to get in the HUMVEE.

The Sergeant slung the office door open rattling the rafters in the building. Then made a boisterous entrance to the Sherif’s office with his Sig 365 in his right hand ready to disperse death in the form of Hornady nine-millimeter XTP JHP147-grain bullets. Indexing his pistol towards the Sheriff who was beginning to standup from his desk chair. The Sheriff seeing the Sergeant bringing his weapon on line started for his sidearm. He was way behind the OODA Loop taking a nine-millimeter JHP bullet to the chest before he could even clear his weapon from his holster. The Sheriff’s ultra concealable and light weight Ballistic base Layer Compression vest absorbed the projectile as designed. The base layer vest rated NIJ IIIA turned out to be worth every penny of the 1500 dollars it cost him. The round though not terminal did manage to knock the breath out of the Sheriff and push him back into his plush leather upholstered desk chair.

The Sergeant seeing the first round take out the Sheriff he took two steps forward towards the Sheriff and fired a second round from his Sig Sauer. The round hit the Sheriff in the right cheek bone taking out the eye part of the cheek bone and the Sheriff’s right eye on entrance and his right ear drum and most of the ear on exit. Feeling a little off about missing his indexed target by over a couple of inches at less than ten feet. His brain telling him to get back on task and finish the job he had a five-ton truck ride to catch for Columbia.

Finished with his ruminations on his perceived bad shot on the snotty Sheriff. The DHS sergeant returned to his task. Spinning on to his right foot and bringing his left foot parallel pointing his body to where his peripheral vision had noticed the wife of the Sheriff standing up from her place on the couch. The thing that he was not expecting as he turned was to hear and see the Ruger LCR in 22 WMR discharge a fireball from the well-manicured hands of the Sheriff’s wife Rita. The first round hit him right above his shooting hand in his elbow. The Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 40gr JHP delivering a little over a hundred- and fifty-foot pounds of energy to the joint, completely crippling the surprised Sergeant’s arm. The shear shock and pain causing him to drop his Sig Sauer. The one-time 1st ID Corporal and veteran of Afghanistan did not panic he immediately reached for his second Sig on his battle belt harness. As Robert Earl King sang in his song new ‘Life in Old Mexico’ ‘he was much to slow.’ Rita fired her Ruger revolver three more times at the demon who had shot her beloved Peter. The follow on three rounds not fired in haste like her first round hit the DHS trooper in the pelvic area as she had been taught by her good friend Eddie Crowe. Her shots fired in defense of her Peter a man who she had loved since the first time she saw him in Middle School. Her first day in Middle school as a seventh grader she saw Peter when she arrived on the bus for her first day at her new school. She found out a couple of days later he was a ninth grader. One who had earned the right to raise the flag out front of the school by achieving his Eagle Scout medal and badge. The trooper was dead before the fourth round ripped into his groin, even though he was still valiantly trying to free his pistol from its holster.

Seeing the bastard who shot her husband finally falling to his knees and then face first to the floor the frantic wife rushed to her Peter. Reaching her husband of almost twenty-five years whose now mangled face and head she tenderly held in her arms. Her Pete looked up to her with his lone eye and softly mouthed I Love you, my dear from the first day I met you and will to the very end. Then grimaced and took his last breath in this world, departing for one much better. A home without hatred, thugs, pain, sin, and desperation. A place of streets of gold, dreams, love, the abode of his heavenly Father, a place where his only job would be to worship and sit at his feet as the Angels sing. Rita’s heart and mind suffered like her world had ended, after a moment of crying and holding her soulmate, she came to an assured decision. Smiling down at Peter she removed her revolver from her prairie skirt pocket. Asking her heavenly father for forgiveness of the act she was about to partake. Finished with her prayer of forgiveness, she placed the Ruger LCR to her temple and pulled the trigger. The only question on her mind was what is the sound of a weapon discharging if there is no one within ear shot to hear the boom.

As Peter’s dear wife and lifelong love was leaving this world for another, the DHS Corporal and his two fellow agents came to see what all the shooting was about. The Corporal seeing his dead Sergeant along with the Sheriff and his wife, said, “I guess it was the Sergeant’s time to pay the reaper, boys. We now need to catch a ride out of this place before the captain runs scared and decides to leave without us. The trio all smiled in acknowledgement of the fact that the only reason the captain had invited any of them was for his own protection. The DHS troopers all new their leader would sell his mother short for one more minute of power and life and never lose one minute of sleep over the betrayal. The trio turned and left the Sergeant lying face down where he died and headed towards the back of the station and there ride out of this mess. None of them caring that there were still eight of their brothers in arms fighting the good fight against the one-percenters and the gang members. Truth was the three DHS agents heading for the back and the captain were just like the captain they served. Not much different than the terrorist and criminals they had swore to uphold the law against and defend the nation. The trio made it to the five-ton and the HUMVEE which were already running. The Corporal sent one of the other two agents to the unarmored five-ton to ride shotgun and man the trucks M-240 machine gun. As the Corporal and the other agent got in the HUMVEE the Captain asked, “Where is Sergeant Ricks, Corporal?” The Corporal told the captain in the short version that the Sergeant would not be making the trip. The captain replied, “Well, then driver take us out of this horrible place and head towards the Airport in Columbia. Somebody man that Ma Deuce, we still are not out of the woods here people. I am not going to tell you all to get me out of this mess again.” The driver hit the go pedal and spoke into his mic to the driver of the five-ton, “Driver, we are out of here. Get that weapon manned and do not get to far off my six. We are gone.”

Melvin was about to reply to Senior when, Junior his son said, “Dad we were trying to decide if we were going to make our presence known to the two waring factions across the road. I hope that your shot did not make the decision for us. My vote from a tactical point of view, is we let them kill each other until we can take them all out if we attack with our entire assembled force opening fire in one big timed salvo. That is my vote, unless we are fired upon by either side. If that happens, we end this thing right then.”

Eddie and Jimmy both came over the all-comms at the same time with Jimmy trying to say he agreed with Junior’s assessment and plan. Eddie stopped his transmission after hearing Jimmy, saying, “I am….” After Jimmy completed his opinion, Eddie started again, “I think, we either fight these groups today when at this moment we have a defined advantage or sometime in the future when the cards might not be in our favor.”

Jessica still on her scope said, “We have movement at the back of the station. The HUMVEE and the five-ton are leaving at top speed. Both vehicles have mounted machine guns and they are manned. Neither are delivering fire to the bikers. Looks like a straight get out of Dodge exit plan for the DHS Thugs. They are just driving away from the station and not engaging the bikers or the gang members, they do have the machine guns in both vehicles manned however. The DHS agents on the roof are still engaged and have not left their positions. I would say they were not invited or even informed of the withdrawal plan of the others.” As she finished her father Jack picked up the commentary of the situation.

Jack came over the comms saying, “The last of the snipers on the ground just went down. It was the spotter of the sniper team. He had taken over the long gun when his sniper went down at the beginning of the engagement of the DHS troops by the one-percenters. We still have a machine gunner, two of the riflemen and two of the Snipers. The gang bangers and bikers are down to less than ten of the original attackers and a few more than that of the secondary attack team. It would also appear that the second group of attackers have seen the group that is making a run for it and are taking chase of the DHS vehicles.”

Melvin deep in thought and trying to see for himself all the goings on across the way, finally responded, “Time for us to take out the trash. Junior and Naomi give the two groups that are leaving more incentive. The rest of us take out the remaining DHS troopers on the roof and any others that leave the building. We also need to take out the bikers and gang members. Laurens, Eddie, and Jimmy concentrate on the gang members the rest of us will work on the DHS members. Let them have it and we are not here to take prisoners. But I would not mind talking to a couple of the government folks. If they decide to give up and surrender. Team, long as they are firing at us or the bikers, they are all fair game….”

Catching his breath for a second, he heard Junior and Naomi start firing and the big boom of the two Barrett fifty-caliber rifles begin to add their large booms to the ruckus being delivered by the Cudd Circle. All up and down the line Cudd Circle team members were adding precision fire to the enemy across the eight hundred yards to the enemy. All except Maureen and Gretchen who were still watching the teams backdoor. Melvin stood in awe as he was trying to get his binoculars on the various targets that were across the road. He watched as the bikers and gang members were falling to the precision rifle fire of the Cudd team. The DHS agents on the roof were receiving the same aimed fire from his team.

As he was about to transfer his attention to the DHS agents that were making a run for parts unknown. The machine gunner on the roof of the station looked like he had just been hit by a freight train. A 750 grain A-Max Match bullet traveling at approximately 2920 fps hitting the gunner in the upper chest. The big round exploding the gunner’s chest and tearing out his heart and taking part of his spine as it left a softball sized hole in his back. Before he could break his stare at the spot where the gunner was just a moment ago, he witnessed another one of the riflemen on the roof experience the same destructive end of their life.

Junior and his sister were both trying to find the range of the five-ton which was following the HUMVEE. The driver of the lead vehicle had the HUMVEE steadily pulling away from the big truck. In the HUMVEE the Captain was hollering at his driver over the den of the Ma Deuce. The DHS agent had already spun around and was charging the weapon. The agent began firing backwards immediately upon charging the weapon and obtaining a target. A feat that a third grader could have accomplished because of the Baker’s dozen, of bikers that was beginning to catch the five-ton.

Junior and the rounds from the M-249 were stitching the side of the big workhorse of a truck. Using the tracer rounds like a laser aiming device, he had walked the rounds down to the back tandem axles of the truck, in a text book example of aimed machine gun fire. His purpose was to take out the drive train of the truck. As his 5.56 -millimeter rounds began to chew into the rear tires of the truck. The machine gunner of the five-ton truck began to find the range of the bikers and gang members taking out two in bikers in one rushed twenty plus salvo of 7.62 NATO rounds. The machine gunner forgetting to feather the trigger as he had been instructed in an advanced heavy weapons training class. His target fixation and heart pumping adrenaline rush from the fire being delivered on his transportation was the reason for the prolonged burst.

After his initial burst, the M-249 machine gunner who had served his six years hitch in the Marines as a heavy weapons operator was back doing what he was trained to do by the Corps. Without prejudice the gunner was bringing death and destruction to the bikers, just as Junior tore the back tires off the right side of the five-ton. The large truck dipped on the right side just as the driver of the big truck was making an evasion move to his right. The combination of the tires going down and the inertia of the turn at the same time was too much and gravity took over. The large truck turned over slamming into the ground. The results were devastating as the tumble threw the DHS machine gun operator out of the top of the truck. The gunner having failed in his haste to bring the machine gun on-line with their attackers to snap into the safety harness. The gunner hit the ground a mere moment before the truck crashed down on him at the waist line. The result being almost instant death from the weight of truck crushing both of his femurs and severing his femoral artery on his left leg. The driver faired only slightly better as the large truck steering wheel he was driving with only his left hand as he was in the process of gearing down to try and generate a little more speed from the truck. The wheel caught his hand and the torque from the steering wheel broke both the radius and ulna where they connect to form a joint at the Carpal Tunnel bones of the hand. The intense pain sensation his system experienced from the instantaneous compound fractures causing him to go into shock immediately. The driver was thrown around inside the cab of the truck striking his head and neck against the dash board. The strike breaking his neck and severing his spinal cord. He would be dead in a matter of seconds from his injuries.

The relief from the five-ton truck machine gunner gave the bikers a renewed zeal and they continued onward towards the HUMVEE. The HUMVEE machine gunner was not nearly as accurate at delivering fire on the bikers. Because of this the bikers were charging forward in their quest to obtain both vehicles and their revenge for their fellow gang members.

As the HUMVEE was about out of the effective range of the M-249, Junior switched his aim to the following bikers and Naomi fired her fourth HE round at the gang members. Back at the Cudd Castle. Trenton was opening the gate for F-550 with Patrick and Pauline as they led the Adan, Debra, and Zaida Bonds into the Castle keep. They were met by Elizabeth, Celeste and Smoke as everyone except Brenda Godley and Julia in the infirmary was manning a fighting position with the Cudd Castle being at the highest DEFCON level. Patrick pulled the truck inside the gate and stopped, then said, “Pauline, if you want to get out here and meet with Eli and Celeste that would be cool. I am going to park the truck inside the Castle. I think Zaida can handle all the introductions. I missed lunch and I need to get me a PB&J sandwich or something. My stomach is about to sue me for non-support, if I do not get something soon.”

Pauline just shook her head and laughed at the young man who had impressed her as much today as any soldier she had met in her time in the service. She decided that she did not know what was in the Cudd family DNA but it was sure the right stuff. Looking to Patrick she replied, “Okay, I will do that and I will see you inside in a few to see if I can find me something to eat, too. Now that you mentioned it, I missed that same meal you were talking about.” Without waiting for an answer, she opened the truck door and got out heading for the two ladies and lone man welcoming committee that were waiting to just a few feet away to talk. Pauline was wanting to know if they had heard anything from the team that included her family members that were away from the Castle attacking the police station.

Elizabeth asked, “Did everything go alright? You all were not gone very long. I was hoping that you found them and did not have to come back so quickly without making contact or it was a trap or something.” All said without taking a breath or even batting an eye.

Celeste added, “Yeah, we were worried. Patrick just reported that you were two minutes out and returning to base. He did add that you were Cherokee free. That took us a minute to figure out. I might add. We probably need some sort of common phrases or code talk words that are used under these types of radio communications.”

Pauline replied, “The recovery went perfect. We went in slowly and they were waiting right behind the church at the edge of the wood line just as was pre-determined. Zaida made identification of her family members. Patrick told her and she went and rode back with them, just in case some way we got separated by an attack or some other reason That exchange took less than two minutes and Patrick had us heading back here in convoy. I would say that it went almost perfectly as planned. On another note, have you heard anything from Melvin or any of our people at the Sheriff’s Office?”

Elizabeth was replying in the negative to Pauline; as Zaida, her brother and his wife came walking up to the quartet. Zaida said, “Elizabeth, Celeste, and Smoke this is my brother Adan and his wife Debra. Everyone calls her Deb. She is the Nurse Practioner I was telling you all about. They told me on the way over here that their eighteen-foot trailer they pulled down here from Cherokee County is full of food from their gardens. Mostly potatoes and sweet potatoes, they do have a bunch of green vegetables. They brought all their cabbages, turnip greens, turnips, onions, a few butternut squash and a couple of bushels of apples, and pears each. They also have cases of jams, jellies, and preserves. They have a couple of five-gallon pales of wheat, milo, oats, and popcorn each along with a bunch of different dried beans and lentils packed in pails. They say the trailer is full to overloading of the axles. The only other things they brought are in the back of their GMC 2500 truck. Is Debra’s pride and joy a Great Majestic wood cook stove, I think has been in her family since the early 1900s. That and a few winter clothes, some blankets and quilts and their extra weapons and ammunition and a six-man Kodiak Wild Oak Trail tent. Not much other than food really. I guess what I am asking is what do they or we need to do with the food and stuff. I told Adan we did not have a root cellar like he had all this food stuff stored in at home.” Finally winding down she quit speaking and looked to Elizabeth, Celeste or possibly Smoke for answers.

Before Elizabeth could answer, Debra spoke saying, “First before we get into the where and the when stuff, let me say Thank you to your group for letting us join your BOL or whatever this is called. We have been lucky so far, as we are off the beaten path but nothing like this place. Many of the other small farmers in our area have been raided by either the DHS or the local gangs and even one group that calls their selves militia wanting a tax for protection. If you do not agree then they come and take your stuff. It was just a matter of time before it happened to us. We have been praying for an answer when we got the call from Henry, I think was his name. It was like manna from Heaven. We knew right away that GOD had answered our prayers. Especially the next time we talked and it was Zaida on the radio. Truly an answer to our prayers to the good Lord above. So, again Thank You all for allowing us to come and be a part of your Cudd Circle I think Zaida told us you called this place. I can already see with the double fences and the guards on the gates and the machine gun positions that Zaida pointed out to us as we came in to through the gates. Looks like a fantastic setup and a lot of thought and work has been put into setting up this place. You cannot even see the road into the place much less the building from the road. I know it does not mean much but, in my opinion, it is the best setup ever. One more thing, Zaida said you have indoor facilities and a girl needs to go in the worst kinds way.” Laughing at her last statement and over-exaggerating crossing her legs for emphasis of her current predicament. Getting a responding laugh from all that were gathered talking.

Pauline said, “I will show you Debra. I could probably use the facilities myself and I am heading to find me a sandwich or something to eat anyway.”
Elizabeth brought her hand up to her head in a pretend smack and said, “My bad. I think we have been so busy with all hands-on deck in protecting the Castle. I completely forgot about lunch and it is nearly supper time. Celeste we better go get something cooking. I am sure everybody is starving.”

Smoke smiled and replied, “I could eat. Now that you mention it, Eli.”

As Elizabeth was explaining to the new arrivals that they were glad they had made it to the Castle and that Adan Bonds and his wife Debra that they would need to pull their truck and trailer into the Castle; Naomi’s forty-millimeter HE grenade was hitting the tail end of the bikers taking out and killing two of the riders and injuring two more. One of the injured riders would succumb to an infection and die of Gangrene a week later. The blast left only six of the gang members fully capable and just moments later the HUMVEE machine gunner finally finding the range would take out two more of the gang members. One of which was the second wounded biker from the HE round delivered by Naomi.

Jimmy said, “Switching too other gang members now. Melvin, do we try to take out the HUMVEE or just the bikers? The range is approaching 1100 meters and it would be much easier even with the Barrett to hit the vehicle than the riders. The HUMVEE is a much bigger target.”

Melvin quickly replied, “Henry and Jimmy each try and put a round on the HUMVEE all other cease fire, unless we take fire from the station or anywhere else. Everyone to my right keep your eyes on the HUMVEE and the bikers the rest of us will maintain our focus on the Sheriff’s Office and all access to the building. Comeback.”

A multiple of quick responses of ranging from 10-4, Roger that, and yes Bossman, came across the Command Comms. A response that made Melvin feel good about his team and did not go un-noticed by the trio of Godley’s assigned to the mission. The newest members of the Circle had just witnessed their first glimpse of the way the Cudd Circle responded to their leader and got the job done. It was a response that made the trio of hardened warriors know that they had made the right choice. It was a decision that the family had weighed heavily before choosing the only viable option that was available. Not having any other options was one of the unfavorable reasons for not joining the Cudd Circle. In the end the group choose to abandon their untenable position at the family farm. Bobby Senior had argued against it the most as he was the elder of the family and wanted to stay and save the farm. Pauline who had agreed with her brother to start had won the argument. Pauline reminding Bobby that his dad had even told them before he succumbed to the biological warfare that they should have gone with Melvin and Eddie when originally asked to join them at their hidden BOL location. Explaining that he had known Melvin and Eddie both since they were kids. Saying them two boys were both smart and good people of moral character. While Bobby Senior was deep in thought the major concussion of the two Barrett fifty-caliber rifles went off at almost the same time. Both large caliber rounds striking the HUMVEE. One embedding harmlessly in the armor of the back door. The second fifty-caliber round hitting right behind the backdoor in the unarmored part of the vehicle. No one would ever know which rifles round went through the back of the HUMVEE and almost decapitated the Corporal. The round that hit the Corporal was an A-MAX projectile The projectile even after boring through the metal of the HUMVEE delivered almost 10,000 foot-pounds of energy to the soft tissue of his neck. It then traveled into and through his spinal cord exiting out the opposite side of his neck. The bullet hit the other door frame and fell to the floor of the HUMVEE racing away from the gang members. The vaporized blood and spinal fluids covered the driver, the captain, and the bottom half of the machine gunner. The red mist getting in the eyes of the driver and almost causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The red mist also put the captain into an almost catatonic state of agitated confusion. The HUMVEE would make it out of the kill zone of the Cudd Circle and be followed for another couple of miles before the four remaining gang members would turn off the Highway 72 by-pass and head back down town to their new home at the downtown church complex. The quartet would talk about the artillery that was delivered onto them by the DHS forces at the Station. The four would diligently argue against even going back anywhere near that place any time soon. Saying it was a place of death and destruction and there were much easier places to get the food and other stuff they needed to keep their gang members happy and alive.

About an hour after the last fifty-caliber round was delivered from Jimmy with his Barrett 95 and it was decapitating the Corporal; Melvin had gathered all but a couple of his team to discuss their next option. The argument was weather they needed to go and see what was happening inside the station and salvage what they could or just slink away back to the Castle. Henry said, “Why don’t we try and make contact with the captain and see what is going on inside the Station. That could help us make our decision.”

Bobby Senior and Junior supported by Naomi were all for doing the recovery of all the weapons and any other things they could salvage form the station.

Laurens, Maureen, Eddie, and Gretchen all agreed with Henry and wanted to check on the captain and his wife and see if they could at least get into the Station to see what the DHS had left and what was left of all the stores of ammunition that was in the vault.

Kevin, Jack and of course Jessica were going to back whatever decision Melvin was going to make. Melvin finally spread his massive arms in the universal quiet sign and started, “Okay, this is what we are going to do. We are going to leave, the Godley’s along with Gretchen, Jimmy and Henry and those big bores to watch our backs as we move across the way and do a look and see. Bobby Senior, Gretchen, and Naomi can watch your teams six and the Henry and Jimmy can keep us covered with the long guns and Junior can give us the force multiplier cover with the M-249. If push comes to a shove Naomi can bring the forty-millimeter into play for us to withdraw under the cover of her grenades. I guess I need to ask Naomi do you have any HE left or did you expend it all on the Station and the bikers?”

Naomi replied, “I still have HE and I do have smoke grenades that could help if you are withdrawing under fire from across the way. I think Dad can watch our six and I should be ready on the line to supply cover fire with the M32 MGL. It is really a bigger force multiplier in a retreat than even the M-249 as it will keep the enemy’s heads down and cover smoke. If their heads are down and they cannot see you, they cannot be chasing you with aimed fire. Just saying….” All said with a stone-cold battle-hardened face staring strongly at Melvin. A face that told a story of a seasoned SPECOPS warrior talking to the group and expecting to be heard.

Melvin looked to his group in admiration and said, “I like the additions to the plan. Does anybody else think we need to change or add to the plan?” Waiting for any answer, he felt Jessica’s hand wrap around his waist. Looking back over his left shoulder he smiled and winked assuredly at his lover and bride to be.

Melvin continued, “Then we need to get this dog and pony show on the road. Henry, can you contact Owen back at the Castle and get him to call and try to establish communications with the captain. Keep us informed as to the results. The team that is going across the way we need to make sure we are ready for close contact with the enemy. We are going into his lair and he has been bloodied already today and probably has his back to the corner. I am guessing the ones that are left are not going to be in a welcome wagon committee type mood. We are going to take two of the trucks. We will take the one I came in with and whichever of the other two. Bobby Senior that will leave the other truck for your team. Please pick the one you want and we will pick the other one to take across the way. That work for you and your team?”

Senior replied, “Take the Nissan and that will leave the F-550 for the six of us. It will be tight but doable.”

Melvin gave Senior and approving nod and said, “Team Mike we move out in two minutes get ready to move. Laurens, Eddie, and Maureen in the Nissan and Jessica, Jack and Kevin will be in the other F-550. Move out people.”

Both groups got ready for the next phase of their day. All were hoping that the next phase was as successful as their first contact with the DHS goons and the gang members. It had not been a clean sweep of the two groups. Team Cudd had come out with the upper hand of both groups. Everyone knew that the results could have been very different if the two groups had not been so busy fighting each other that neither group ever fired a shot at team Cudd. Especially if the two groups had both decided to team up against their group.

Henry, contacted Owen back at the Castle and explained to him to call the Sheriff’s Office on a specific radio channel and ask for Charlie Papa Sierra One or Two. Explaining that One would be the Captain and Two was for his wife. Owen dialed up the correct radio frequency and tried to establish contact with the station and specifically Captain Sims or his wife. On his third hailing of the frequency a response came over the radio in reply to Owen’s call. The reply was that neither Charlie Papa Sierra One or Two were available for a reply transmission.

Owen keyed his mic and asked, “Charlie Charlie Oscar One request information on time for Charlie Papa Sierra One or Two to be available for contact? Comeback.”

The operator on the radio at the Sheriff’s Station replied, “Charlie Charlie Oscar One, the two call signs of Charlie Papa Sierra One or Two will never again be available for contact. I am sorry to inform you that they are with the Angels as of the last thirty minutes or so ago. Looks like murder of Sheriff by third party and his wife took out murdered of Charlie Papa Sierra One her husband and then committed suicide. That is the best that I can inform you on the situation of their passing. I am also afraid that besides me there is only one other person here and as neither of us are from this area. I can say that there is no local individuals on station at the present time. Comeback.”

Owen responded, “Sierra Oscar One please wait one. Over.” Trying to make sense of the situation Owen called Henry and transmitted the information that he had received from the Sheriff’s Office. Explaining that he needed to know what they wanted him to do at this point on making contact.

Henry replied, “Charlie Charlie Oscar One, I am going to get back with you after contacting Mike Charlie One Actual. Hold for reply. Do you copy.”

Owen replied, “Charlie Charlie Oscar One holding for information reply. Over.”

A few minutes later, the small amount of time seemed like an eternity to Owen back at the Castle. Finally, the radio squelched and he received the request from Melvin for him to try and establish communications with the remaining faction at the Sheriff’s Office. Specifically, wanting to know if they Cudd Circle team showed up at the Office would they be fired on by the DHS agents still inside the building. Owen was able with explanations from Henry to patch the DHS agents inside the Station to Melvin on his Comms channel.

Melvin started, “First off, with whom am I speaking, how many of you are still in the Station and are you willing to come out of the Sheriff’s Station and surrender? I will inform you before you answer that question that if you are not going to surrender. We are prepared to and are going to start dropping forty-millimeter HE and WP grenades on the building. Secondly, why is Captain Sims and his wife dead? Third question why was the DHS holding them hostage? I think that would be a good place for us to start our conversation. Just to show you my bonafides on whether we would burn the place to the ground with you all in it. Trooper, I am Melvin Cudd and y’all DHS agents burnt my house to the ground after stealing all my earthly possessions. So, I will gladly burn the place to the ground and go home and never lose a minute’s sleep. I will however take your unconditional surrender like a true gentleman after your explanations of my questions. You have exactly thirty seconds before the rain of HE and WP starts falling. I would suggest you make your decisions post haste. The clock starts on my mark…. Three, two, one…, Mark!” Looking over to Jessica who was sitting in the passenger seat of her F-550. Melvin shrugged his shoulders as if to answer the question he knew was on her mind. Then he said over the all comms to Jack, and Kevin in the back seat and the second team of Eddie, Laurens and Maureen who were setting in the Nissan right behind his team. “Team Echo we are going to sit right here out of sight of the Station and wait for an answer….”

Continuing, “Naomi, please be ready to drop a HE round on roof top of the building on my command. That is if we do not get the answer we are hoping and praying that the few DHS goons left in the building will deliver. Copy.”

Naomi clicked her mic and replied, “Read you five by five Tango Mike One Actual. November Golf One awaiting fire order, over.” Naomi looked over to Junior and told him that she liked the way Melvin handled the situation.

Junior replied, “Yeah, a lot better than some SPECOPS officers who may have wanted to negotiate. He just cut right to the goody, did not give them any wiggle room. That and I was afraid he was bluffing on sending forty mike HE and WP into the building. I would have lost as I figured it was a bluff myself. His choice of HE first was a good call as it will let them know we mean business and it might give them a reason to change their minds if they are voting for stupid in the police station.”

As Junior was speaking to his sister, the argument between the two remaining agents in the station was settled by a nine-millimeter delivered from a Glock 19X to the last remaining member of the DHS agents. The lone remaining and standing gunmen was a local National Guardsman from Columbia that had been seconded to the DHS. Him and five other members had been seconded to the DHS for Humanitarian relief in Columbia the third day after the first Russian attack. Sergeant Mitch Casey had been the squad leader of the group. The Sergeant had joined the SCNG after six full years of service in the Army Light Infantry specifically the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. When the Army decided to require everyone to take the COVID vaccinations he decided not to re-up even though the signing money offered made it a hard cross to bear. The final factor on getting out was a training course he was assigned on Critical Race Theory and acceptance of gender fluidity.

Sergeant Casey picked up the mic and keyed the talk button, saying, “Responding is Sergeant Mitch Casey of the South Carolina National Guard 59th Troop Command out of Eastover, South Carolina. My squad was seconded to this group of DHS agents in Columbia early on in this war for Humanitarian services. Me and my fellow soldiers did not sign on for looting, and pillaging of our fellow South Carolinian's and Americans. We tried our best to stop as much of that stuff as we could, that was when the DHS Captain started separating us and assigning us to his personal goon squad. They were one by one either letting us get killed or they were doing the killing. They never actually took a shot at me but they left me hanging out to die a couple of times. I am the only one left in the Sheriff Station and I gladly surrender to you Mr. Cudd and I am sorry for what happened to your house at the lake. I was there and it was a nice place. The captain ordered it burned, after they did not find you are any of the stuff you had ordered those last few days when things were still working in America. I admit up front, I was the one who shot the last goon. I know he was personally responsible for the deaths of at least one of my men and probably two. I place myself in your hands as a POW and will face my maker with a clean conscious. I will be waiting when you arrive. I do have one question, was that your team firing those fifty-caliber rifles across the way during the fight with the bikers? I know the signature of the Barrett even suppressed. I spent a year in Afghanistan carrying one and using it for interdiction of the Taliban. The dumbass DHS agents thought I was crazy, when I told them that we were being sniped from across the way.”

Before Melvin could answer, the Sergeant keyed his talk button saying, “Oh and I think your Captain was murdered by the captain’s right-hand henchmen. You do not have to worry about him as it looked like the captain’s wife was his life ender with about four or five bullets in his chest and groin area. From all apparent evidence she then committed suicide with her last round in her Ruger revolver. Just thought you would want to know. Got caught up in my own world and did not answer the questions. The reason they were holding him and his wife hostage was that the captain wanted him to lure you in so he could get you and your hiding location. That and he wanted your supplies, so he could set up his own little kingdom.”

Melvin replied, “Sergeant please be at the front door in two minutes. We will be coming in to the facility in two trucks. The trucks are a Ford F-550 and a Nissan Frontier with and exoskeleton. There are seven of us coming in and remember those two Barrett fifty-calibers are still on station across the way from you. Be smart.”

Sergeant Casey replied, “I will be at the door. I am wearing the DHS Multicam Black camo pattern BDUs. The rest of my equipment is Multicam Tropic pattern. I will be holding a black on white shemagh scarf for my surrender. Do you want me to leave my weapons inside or not, sir?”

Melvin thought for a moment, then replied, “Sergent have your weapon on your sling. We are not going to deprive you your ability to defend yourself. Just in case the biker and bangers decide to show back up for round number two. We are moving to your position. We will be on site in less than one mike. Again, for a reminder I say you will be in the scope of two different Barrett rifles. Charlie Mike One Actual, over and out.” The F-550 was already moving towards the Station before he signed off from the call.

Keying his Command channel, he spoke to all his troops, “Okay, Team Romeo Snipers keep the front of the building under your scopes. Team Eddie, can you hang back and be ready to return fire and flank anyone who comes out of the building, besides the Sergeant with the white kerchief.” Looking over to Jessica he spoke to her and the rest of the family and told them how he wanted them to deploy out of the truck. Explaining that he wanted Kevin on his left hand and for Jack to be on his right hand and Jessica a few steps behind him. Before she could start her argument, he added. “Jessica you are our medical personnel and we could need you for that. What would we do if you got hurt and we had other people hurt?”

Jessica did not like it and gave him a look that told him they would re-visit this issue later. Then said, “I will agree with you on the face of your explanation. I do not agree that it is right or the only way to skin this cat. I will do as you have described, as we do not have time to come up with another plan.” This was spoken as she could already see a figure that had came out of the station holding the big pieced of white and black cloth. The F-550 was running at about thirty-five miles and hour and racing to the front of the building for their contact with hopefully the lone remaining person in the station.

Melvin pulled the big diesel Ford truck up and to the left of the front door, then keyed his radio saying, “Hotel and Juliet we are going to stay on the left side of the door and we will stop at about ten yards from the front door. If at any time we interfere with your site picture of the front door or the target holding the big white shemagh let us know and we will adjust out of the line of fire on the Sergeant. Copy?” Putting the truck in gear he threw the door open and headed out to cover the last fifteen yards between the parking lot and the front of the building where he wanted to stop and converse with the Sergeant.

Jimmy replied, “Staying on the line you are moving on will be great, bossman. I will let you know if we need any of your team to move. Stay on that left side as you are now and we should be golden.”

About ten uneasy minutes later found Team Mike and Team Echo inside the building which Melvin and his team had cleared with the Sergeant opening each door and entering first, just in case he had not been truthful. Team Echo led by Eddie had headed to the roof to re-man the M-249 and provide cover for Team Romeo Sierra as they made their way across the way to join the rest of the Cudd Circle warriors at the station. Melvin was still questioning Sergent Casey. In response to the questions and of his free will he had explained that the two Oshhosh HEMTT A4 Patriot Tractors pulling the enclosed trailers were still almost completely full as they had been on arrival. The DHS thugs had been living off the stuff they had stolen and salvaged from the surrounding area. One truck was almost completely full of weapons and ammunition the other with food, medical, clothing and equipment. The Sergeant explained that he had not seen an inventory and he did not think there was one. Telling Melvin that if they needed something the Sergeant and a couple of people from his squad would go and look for whatever widget or ammunition, that was requested. Telling Melvin that it usually took a little while for them to find it and that was his reasoning for thinking there was no packing list or manifest for the two trailers contents.

The sergeant after answering all of Melvin’s questions as professionally and truthfully as he possible could, he said, “Mr. Cudd sir, permission to speak?”

Melvin taken a little aback, replied, “Sure, Sergeant Casey.” Looking at him like he was not sure where this was coming from, as they had been getting along okay, at least that was his impression of the situation.

Sergeant Casey started, “Sir, if possible, I would like to take one of the small confiscated civilian trucks in the lot. If possible, enough supplies to get me home to Lexington County and hopefully my family. They were still there and doing okay when we left Columbia to come here. I would like to request a few more sets of these DHS BDUs. The DHS Multicam Black camo is good and is rated to work against night vision. A couple of the DHS agents still had some that they had not even worn in their kit bags and they no longer have a use for them. Your group made sure of that, with a little help from the gangs. I am planning to do most of my traveling at night, on my trip home….” Stopping for a second to catch his breath and try to read the poker face of Melvin. His actions were to no avail, much to his chagrin.

Continuing, “I also have a Jeep Apex Pro electric bike that I got from the local bike shop and it is tricked out completely with a Pannier Cargo basket, front and rear fenders, the Kinekt suspension seat post and premium seat, heck I even put an insulated battery wrap on the thing. I have two extra batteries and the two-hundred-watt collapsible solar panels and charge controller to keep it running. There are three of the e-bikes that I built since I have been here, I built two of the Apex Pro models and one of the Ranger 5.0 model bikes. The three bikes are almost all equal. The two models the Apex Pro and the Ranger 5.0 are just a little different in what they do best. Their performances are almost equal though. I have them all upgraded and the same accessory packages, even the solar arrays and chargers. E-bikes were kindly an obsession of mine before the balloon dropped. I did not have anything as nice as the three I built here though. I hope to get home in the little 4X4 Colorado ZR2 four-door in the back lot. That is if you will let me take the truck and the bike. I am here with my hat in my hand asking for your help. From what Captain Sims told me about you when I asked after we burned your house, he told me you were a hard man but completely fair from all he knew. I am hoping he was right in what he told me, sir.”

Melvin replied, “Sergeant Casey, I hope I can live up to the kind words spoken by Captain Sims before he passed. You seem to have been dealt a bad hand with the DHS and I was going to offer you a place at our Castle. Sergeant it would seem that you have other more important plans. I must admit that you wanting to make it back to your family is admirable, son. I think we can agree to everything you want and then some. There are a good many weapons laying on the ground outside both from the DHS and the biker-banger gang trash. If you will help us gather up the weapons, you can take your pick of three or four of the rifles and a half dozen pistols and the web gear and magazines to go with them. We will give you whatever you can pack in the bed of the truck as to supplies of ammunition and food that is here in the building and whatever we gather outside. I do not want to do extra work and unpack stuff from the two HEMTT trucks and trailer combos. We will even get you to the other side of town with an escort all the way around the Highway 72 By-pass to Highway 25 and 178 south. It will have to be before dark today though or tomorrow morning. We do not venture out at night unless we must. It would be better to do today, as we cannot bring you to our BOL, for obvious reasons. Does that sound like a fair deal to you?”

Sergeant Casey somewhat in disbelief at his good fortune was taking a second to get his thoughts together, when Jimmy keyed his mike and said, “Team Mike One Actual, comeback.”

Melvin replied, “Send your traffic Charlie Juliet One, over. “

Jimmy replied, “Actual the two big tractor trailer rigs are loaded to the gills, just as advertised by the Sergeant. We also have a load of fifteen-hundred gallons of JP-4 hooked up to a five-ton. All the equipment and supplies are ready to travel, right now. I think we need to be moving to our other locations pronto, over.”

Melvin responded over the all comms, “Papa Juliet, where do we stand on retrieval of goods from front porch and in house?”

Jack replied, “Actual we have most of equipment placed in vehicles for transport. It is not sorted by any method other than dump. We can be ready to move in ten, over.”

Henry came over the joined the conversation, “Actual, my group will have house furniture ready to move in five. All is in five-ton with cooking oil, over.”

Melvin looked to the Sergeant and said, “I have been advised that we need to move in ten minutes or less by my team. You have seven minutes of our time to help you load and I will send the HUMVEE with a team of three as an escort to the highway as advised if that is your choice.”

The sergeant this time out of his stupor quickly replied, “I will take the help and the escort to the cut off for Highway 25 south. Mr. Cudd, I think I will choose to take the Ninety-Six exit of the by-pass and cut through the country to Highway 178, if that is okay. I think that will be a safer route even though a little longer in distance. It will also get your people back to you quicker, as it is a few miles closer to here and your larger group.”

Melvin said, “All hands be ready to move in twelve. Junior, Maureen, and Laurens I need you ready to escort our new friend to Ninety-Six off ramp on the Highway 72 by-pass. You will be taking the up-armored HUMVEE with Maureen driving and Laurens on the Ma Deuce. Gretchen, Jessica, and Kevin, I need you with me to help our friend get his ducks in a row, Muy pronto. Copy?” A chorus of 10-4, yes bossman and on it answers came back over the radio in reply to his directive.

Melvin turned to Sergeant Casey and said, Melvin Cudd and part of the Cudd Castle team are at your service for the next few minutes Sergeant lead on and tell us what you need for us to do to get you headed home to your family. Take anything you see that is not nailed down. Then he keyed his mike and said, “Papa Juliet, I need two carbines, two SBRs and one of the long guns from the DHS Snipers with gear, magazines, and ammunition for each of the weapons. I need a half dozen pistols with mags and carry gear for each to complete our supply for our leaving guest. Please put them in the Colorado 4X4 back of station and pull it to the back door if you do not see us at the truck. Second thought, Jimmy please pull the Colorado to the back door please and get your team to start the big trucks and get them in line for convoy movement.”

Jimmy replied, “Actual, trucks are fueled, oil and water checked and already running and in line with five-ton with bladder in middle and ready to roll. We are going to need Jessica or Jack to drive one of the big trucks. I will have the Colorado at the back door in sixty seconds or less, bossman.”

Sergeant Casey took off at a run to the dressing room or locker room they had been using as a dressing room. He went straight to the locker of the newly dead Sergeant’s pair of lockers. Mitch knew that the Sergeant had two large duffel bags full of new BDUs and other gear he may need in the future. Opening the first locker with his high-end Titanium copy of the Stanley Fatmax Extreme that ironically, he had given early on by the DHS Sergent. Sergent Mitch Casey’s jaw dropped to the floor with amazement at what he saw in the first locker. There were two different groups of items in the locker that completely bewildered the Sergeant. Finally, coming back to his senses, he turned and walked to the door out of the locker room and called for Melvin Cudd to come to his aid in the locker room.

Melvin hearing the call took off running to see what the Sergeant wanted. The rest of the Team Mike and Team Echo pirates were continuing to get everything they could gather from the Sheriff’s Station and into the DHS vehicles for transport back to the Cudd Castle. Most were on this primary task but Jack, and Gretchen were loading the Colorado pickup with gear, weapons, and food to help Sergeant Casey be ready to move out and head home.

[sniper69]

WOW! A most excellent chapter and a good buffet feeding for us MOAR hounds. Now, to hang on to the cliff and hope the dessert comes soon.

[gipsy]

Fine update

[kiwibutterfly]

Thank you, so worth the wait...

[imahic]

Great chapter and hanging from the cliff. Thanks for your efforts.

[feralferret]

Thanks for another excellent chapter!

[texican]

223,

The only other author that has your length of chapters is Ira.

Enjoying the story.

Be careful when you go work again.

Everyone be careful for the rag heads have stated that Friday 10/13 will have lots of surprises. Be prepared.

Texican....

[ydderf]

Even hanging by my fingertips on the edge of the cliff, I thank you 223 shooter. I can sometimes hang by one hand while I type.

[223shootersc]

Oct 12, 2023 12:58:29 GMT -6 ydderf said:

Even hanging by my fingertips on the edge of the cliff, I thank you 223 shooter. I can sometimes hang by one hand while I type.

ydderf,

Old Cliff is like Murphy, sometimes he just shows up for no reason. Other times he is just there to keep everyone guessing!

Thanks for reading my attempts at writing and I hope you always enjoy my work. You and all my readers!!!

223shootersc

[gipsy]

Well I don't know about that. Murphy is very unpredictable while Cliffie shows up pretty much at the end of every chapter, despite my dousing with anti-cliff spray every day.

[223shootersc]

Oct 12, 2023 15:17:19 GMT -6 gipsy said:

Well I don't know about that. Murphy is very unpredictable while Cliffie shows up pretty much at the end of every chapter, despite my dousing with anti-cliff spray every day.

Gipsy,

That anti-cliff spray is eaten like butter by Clif!  Just funnin' ya'! Hope you are enjoying the ride....

223shootersc

PS About half way through the next chapter with first pass!

[223shootersc]

A quick shout out to the MOAR hounds. Hopefully later tonight or probably no later than tomorrow night there will be another new chapter to post.

Hope you enjoy!

223shootersc

[iamnobody]

Oct 25, 2023 14:59:10 GMT -6 223shootersc said:

A quick shout out to the MOAR hounds. Hopefully later tonight or probably no later than tomorrow night there will be another new chapter to post.

Hope you enjoy!

223shootersc

You fooled me.

I was all set for another chapter. 

Had a bowl of popcorn made and a glass of iced tea ready. 

[223shootersc]

Oct 26, 2023 9:12:36 GMT -6 iamnobody said:

Oct 25, 2023 14:59:10 GMT -6 223shootersc said:

A quick shout out to the MOAR hounds. Hopefully later tonight or probably no later than tomorrow night there will be another new chapter to post.

Hope you enjoy!

223shootersc

You fooled me.

I was all set for another chapter. 

Had a bowl of popcorn made and a glass of iced tea ready. 

iamnobody,

there will be a new chapter probably by supper. Good lord wiling and the creek don't rise!

Thanks for your interest!

223shootersc

[223shootersc]

As promised or forewarned whichever is most appropriate, here is another new freshly finished chapter for the MOAR hounds reading pleasure. At least hopefully on the pleasure part. Comments are always appreciated by the author.

Chapter 17

Back across town at what was once a beautiful downtown Baptist church, that now served as the club headquarters for the bikers and bangers. The club president and other members of the leadership were listening to their returning club members from the attack on the Sheriff’s Office. The chiefs and advisors of the biker-banger gang were hearing an epic tale of anguish from the few remaining club survivors from the attack on the Sheriff Station. They were told how the DHS agents had defended the station with machine guns, mortars, and heavy caliber sniper fire. The snipers were probably using fifty-caliber rifles was one opinion. This added from one of the bikers that had been in the service before being dishonorably discharged from the US Army for drug violations and possible theft of government property. The heavy discussions were taking two separate directions along the flight or fight path of most humans. The group was split almost down the middle with the bikers taking the path of least resistance. They wanted to move on to another town and find another place to setup shop. Telling the gang bangers part of the crew that they could make Crystal Meth anywhere and alluding to the fact that most of the raw products necessary for the meth had already been gathered up in the town anyway. The bangers replying that Greenwood was their town and no bunch of whitey gov’ment boys was going to run them out of town. The discussion had almost led to a fight between the two factions which had originally joined together for the survival of both their members. Both groups now believed they really did not need the other anymore. Their time together as one crew had let both groups lick their wounds and gather more like-minded members from the surrounding areas.

Finally, having heard enough, the president of the bikers and the SGT at Arms of the chapter stood up and the president said, “It has been a pleasure doing business with the Emerald Street bangers and we will leave you to your hometown turf.” Turning to his group of biker members on the council and looking straight at his Road Captain he said, “JonJon get ‘em saddled up and moving you have sixty minutes to be ready to ride. We are heading for Aiken and our fellow chapter down there.” The large man grunted and acknowledgement to his leader. Then JonJon started giving orders to his fellow biker club members, to get their Old Ladies, and Mamas ready to ride out. Punching one stoned biker still sitting on the couch in the side of the head to show he meant now and his commands were not up for discussion or optional.

These decisions and the fact that the bikers took a little longer than an hour to get their people and equipment ready to travel were a God send to Sergeant Casey and to the Cudd Castle team that was riding shotgun for him on the by-pass. If the bikers had argued less, been a little more organized in their departure and left just a little earlier, the results might have been different. The decision by the Sergeant and the Cudd team to take the Ninety-Six exit off the by-pass had not been taken the results would have still been different. The two combatant groups would have met right at the Highway 25 turn off heading down the same road.

Back at the Station, Melvin had met Sergeant Casey and the two new friends had walked back to the dead DHS Sergeants locker after Melvin had asked Mitch Casey what was the problem. Mitch replied, “I thought in all honesty as good as you have been to me so far that you needed to see the contents of the DHS Sergeant’s locker.”

Melvin looking a little skeptical at Mitch he said, “It is not full of snakes, scorpions, and locust by chance, is it?”

Mitch grinned and replied, “Not exactly, but something like that. You introduced me to your bride to be and I noticed she was wearing a beautiful ring that looked to be mounted in Platinum. I think we may have by way of the DHS found her the matching earrings and necklace.” As he opened the Sergeant’s locker while setting aside pointing inside to its contents.

Melvin let out a soft whistle and nodded his head in agreement with Mitch’s assessment of the locker’s contents. Melvin on his first look saw what appeared to be four Monster boxes of Silver Eagles and three ninety percent Silver one-thousand-dollar face value bags of coins. That was not what was amazing about the contents of the locker. Hanging from the roof of the locker on the coat pegs were two large carabiners with each stuff to overflowing with one have gold and the other platinum necklaces. Some of the large diameter necklaces being thirty inches in length. As he was trying to take all this pirate’s treasure and rap his mind around what he was seeing, Mitch stepped up and picked up what appeared to be a half-gallon size Crown Royal purple sack and opened it. The bag was full to almost overflowing with diamond rings and earrings. On his first look Melvin did not think he saw one ring or earring that was less than a carat in size and many had stones that were over two carats.

Astonished with what he was seeing, Melvin asked, “Where do you think all this came from Mitch? There must be a million dollars’ worth of stuff in this locker.”

Mitch replied, “Do not rightly know, sir. I do know that the DHS agents had free run in Columbia for a few weeks before it got so bad that nobody went out alone. My guess is the captain and his group hit a jewelry store or six. In the name of protection of America from the Russians. They just did not report any of their recovery from the stores. What you have not probably noticed is what is behind the Crown Royal bag. Take a closer look, if you will and it is not a snake or scorpions.”

Melvin reached into the locker and picked up the purple bag of diamond rings and handed it to Sergeant Casey. Behind it was a plastic basket that held a bunch, maybe a dozen rolls of one ounce Gold American Eagles and another dozen ten-ounce Perth Mint gold bars along with three one kilo PAMP Suisse gold bars. The box also contained maybe a hundred count of tenth ounce Gold American Buffalo coins. Melvin seeing all the gold he asked, “Why are you showing me this Mitch? You could have just loaded into a duffel or two and went on your way. “

Grinning like the cat that ate the Canary, Mitch replied, “Like my Daddy always told me, sir. Pigs get fed and hogs get slaughtered. I was hoping to take a handful of those rings, a bag of the ninety-percent silver coins and maybe a couple rolls of those Gold American Eagles. If it would not be too much half the tenth ounce gold coins? I think if my family is still alive, we could possibly have a future in this new world.”

Melvin reached into locker and picked up the carabiner with the gold chains opened it and pulled off a hand full and placed them over Mitch’s head. Then he took four of the ten-ounce Perth mint gold bars and handed them to the Sergeant. Melvin looked at the younger man and said, “That was the finders fee, Mitch. Now take what you asked and anything else you would like. I just ask that you make it snappy. We need to get you on your way and then recover my team and head out of here. This place might start attracting buzzards’ or other predators after dark if you know what I mean.”

Mitch not knowing what to say just asked, “Melvin, can you open the Sergeant’s other locker and get out his gear and BDU’s for me to take. I guess God does take care of his people. The only reason I choose his locker as we were almost the same size and I knew he kept a couple of Glock 34 pistols with Trijicon RMR sights, threaded barrels, and SilencerCo Hybrid 46M suppressors and carry rigs in his locker that I saw him take them out and clean a couple of times.”

Melvin grinned and replied, “No problem. I guess I am to assume you want the Glock 34s and their carry gear? Besides the BDUs and his other gear.” Without waiting for an answer, he picked up the FUBAR and snapped the lock off the second locker. Opening the locker door, he looked inside wondering if the second locker was going to hold pirate treasure also. It did not, but sitting right in front of him on the middle shelf were not two but three of the Glock 34 pistols decked out as Mitch had described. Each pistol had their own carry and web gear. In the bottom of the locker in an open duffel bag was about a dozen pairs of BDU’s and a couple of sets of long and regular underwear and socks till in the plastic wrap. There was also a pair of Danner boots in the duffel. Melvin after placing the Glocks in the bag he reached down and zipped up the bag and set it out of the locker on the floor. The locker had a medium size 30-35L 3-day assault pack in ACU camo pattern. Melvin, set it out without even checking its contents in the need for speed. The only thing left in the locker was a H&K MP-5SD and twelve mags already in what appeared to be leg drop down carriers. By the weight of the three magazine carriers, it was obvious to Melvin that the magazines were loaded and ready to be used. Melvin looked to Mitch and said, “Mitch, he has a H&K MP-5SD in his locker and the loaded magazines to make it ready to work. Traveling by yourself either driving the truck or riding the bike, the Heckler and Koch MP-5 might just be the ticket. The subgun will be a lot easier to shoot one-handed and unlike Rooster Cogburn that bike has no reigns to put in your mouth and charge the enemy. What do you think and how close are you to getting your pick of the goodies in the treasure chest? I need to find something to put all the rest of the gold and stuff into. Then we need to get this stuff to the truck and I guess you have a locker you want to clean-out before you leave don’t ya?”

Mitch answered, “I have my part taken out and I have already put the rest into a duffel that was in the bottom of the locker under the bags of coins. It is ready to go right now. On the other question, you good with me taking the H&K MP-5SD? If you are then yes, I want it and the magazines. What did you do with the two Glock 34s? I want to trade out these dang Sig 320s, they are pretty good but not a Glock and that is what I used before and what I like. You know?”

A few minutes after Mitch had changed out his SIGs for the brace Glock 34s, the two new found fellows of respect were saying their goodbyes. Melvin was telling Mitch that if things were not as he would of have hopped far when he arrived back at home, that he would always have a place back at the Cudd Castle for him and his family. He wrote down a radio frequency and told him they would monitor it on the nines, at zero nine hundred and twenty-one hundred hours for ten minutes each day. A moment later Melvin was waving at the back of the Colorado and the HUMVEE as they left the parking lot. With nothing left to do Melvin went looking to find Jack and Jimmy to see where they stood on their convoy being ready to leave for the Castle. It was time to be back at the friendly confines of the Castle and some hot food.

Finding Jimmy and Jack standing together, Melvin walked up and said, “What can I do to help? We need to be ready to leave the minute the HUMVEE and our people are back and I do mean the minute they are back. This place might be attracting vermin at zero dark thirty and that is getting close.”

Jimmy replied, “We have all the stuff from the Station that Henry wanted to recover. Including the radio base station and all the portables with the chargers. Henry even said that the DHS had updated the base station. There is still some personal stuff of the DHS agents in the locker room and some MREs still in the station, probably fifty cases at least. Gretchen did recover the personal effects of the Captain and Rita. Jack and I was just debating on a few of the motorcycles out front and the five-ton that is laying on its side across the way. We looked at it with our binoculars and it is full to the backdoor. We have two problems; one is we are already short on drivers and the second is we do not have enough time to off-load the truck onto one of the remaining vehicles here in the lot. We were also debating pulling the distributors from the three remaining five-tons that are here. You know, just in case we need them someday or time in the future.”

Melvin looked to his long-time friend and partner and his future father-in-law and calmly said, “In general I would say no problem. Pull the distributors from the trucks and any of the motorcycles that are still serviceable and if there is a big Harley FatBoy out there, please make sure we get it, I know our friend Smoke would love to have one. You know Jimmy he always said when he retired from racing, he was going to get him one and ride to the west coast and back. I think we need to do that but more importantly we need someone to go through all the lockers of the dead DHS agents. We just found a small fortune in Gold, silver, and diamonds in the Sergeant’s locker. May be some others that had laid aside some of the citizens wealth for themselves. I am not a thief but if there is any, we are taking it back to the Castle, just like what is already in the F-550 waiting to go back with us.”

Jimmy said, “Yeah, you are right. Maybe there are four of them and we can all do it together one day after we get back settle down. It makes for a good thing to ponder and wish for anyway, on a cold and lonely night in the OP. Regarding the lockers and their possible riches, can you get Gretchen and go through them? If you can, I will get the motorcycles disabled and Jack can get the trucks distributor caps.”

Melvin replied, “Good deal. Where is Gretchen?” Looking and seeing her by Patrick’s Nissan putting something in the back of the bed. Melvin started walking towards her waving his arms trying to get her attention and said back over his shoulder, “Never mine. I see her. We got the lockers, unless they are all full of gold, silver, and diamonds. If so, we might want some help.”

Jack said, “Sounds like a plan. Come on Jimmy we have some work to do before they get back. If what Maureen said is true, they should be back in less than thirty minutes and maybe twenty-five as the round trip is only eight miles or so. We need to hustle, as I know there are a few FatBoys out there and a couple of big Indian Chief Dark Horse variants and I even saw one Super Chief Dark Horse for sure. Maybe we can have our own Cudd Castle bike club.” The old mechanic and future father-in-law getting a big wishful smile as he led Jimmy to get some help.

Finally after almost walking up beside her, Melvin got Gretchen’s attention and motioned to her to come to him. Gretchen came jogging to the Cudd Circle leader. Gretchen getting to Melvin asked, “What’s up, Bossman?”

Melvin replied, “Follow me back into the station we need to check on the contents of the lockers of the DHS agents. We found some Gold, silver, and diamonds in one of the agents’ lockers.”

Gretchen grinned and replied, “I am with you Bossman. Lead the way, you know diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Laughing at her own pun with a lilting laugh that Melvin thought was very becoming of the young lady.

Melvin replied, “Yeah, Gretchen. I think I may have heard that line somewhere before. Like from Jessica. Now we have some lockers to check for loot. You game?”

A few moments later the pair were back inside the locker room. Melvin picked up the FUBAR that apparently Mitch had left lying on the bench right where he must have had lain it down. Melvin said, “I will pop the locks and you can start checking out the lockers for loot. Just for information, we found some nice pistols in the guy’s locker also. So, I guess there could be something besides baubles that we may want to take. Remember we are almost full on our load-outs of the trucks.” Melvin took the FUBAR and busted the lock off the first locker, then stepped to the second and went right down the line of about a dozen lockers. Then went back up the other side of lockers that faced each other with benches in between. When he got to about the middle way back on the second set of lockers, he met Gretchen in the aisle and asked, “Anything…?”

Gretchen replied, “Two of the lockers had a H&K MP-5SD and a lot of extra magazines maybe a dozen. I would really like one of the subguns for myself. Really, they have all just had BDUs and web gear toiletries and regular stuff you find in lockers. But I am only about half way down the first dozen lockers. The very next one could have the loot. This is like playing ‘The Price Is Right’. Contestant do you want locker number one, number two, or number three? It is all about picking the right one.”

Melvin laughed and replied, “Yeah, it is a little like that and you can have one of the MP-5s if you want it. If I was you, I would see if there were any more magazines and carriers in any of the other lockers and grab a bunch more. Better to have ‘em and not need them, than need them and not have ‘em.”

The duo continued their mission of opening and checking the DHS agents’ lockers. When Melvin got to the last locker and busted the Master lock, he opened the door and looked inside. Melvin thought to himself after peering into the locker, just like Gretchen told me. There is nothing but the regular flotsam and gear of any locker in America before the attacks. Going to the next locker working his way back to meet Gretchen, he found it looked like a carbon copy of the first locker he had viewed. On his fourth locker he did find another H&K MP-5SD and what must have been the standard DHS load-out of a dozen magazines in three separate leg drop-down carriers. Melvin pulled the weapon and the magazines and laid them down on the bench for Gretchen and went to the next locker in line. That was the way that things went throughout the locker searching for Melvin and Gretchen. Melvin did find a matched pair of Ruger custom shop Super GP100 Competition revolvers and an even dozen eight round speed loaders. Melvin decided that like Gretchen and the MP-5SD he was taking the brace of Ruger .357 revolvers for himself. Melvin did find another uncommon weapon that took up almost the whole locker that they decided was too good a find to be left behind. The weapon was a McMillan TC-338 and a Baker’s dozen plastic range boxes of twenty rounds of handloads and five factory boxes of 300 grain Desert Tech Munitions Premium Match 338 Lapua Magnum ammunition. The weapon was topped by a Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36X56 FFP scope and even had the range card tapped to the stock. Melvin put the rifle into the Multicam Eberlestock Sniper Sled Drag Bag along with the four AI five-round and two ten-round magazines. What Melvin and Gretchen did not know was that Jimmy had loaded the same rifle and magazines into the truck for Mitch and he had recovered two others from the Sniper hides in the front of the building. Each Sniper’ had the four, five-round AI magazines and the two, ten-round magazines either in their bag or on their harness and forty-extra rounds in a side pocket of the bag. Melvin threw the drag bag over his left shoulder and put his arm through the right-hand carry strap adjusting the weight before snapping the chest buckles. He bounced the weight a little bit to get it centered. Then reached and picked up the bag Gretchen had found him a duffel for the Ruger revolvers and the rifle handloaded and factory ammunition in his left hand.

Melvin asked, “Gretchen, you want me to carry one of the H&K subguns or any of the other stuff you threw into that other duffel of yours?”

Gretchen looked like a deer in the headlights, the Boss had caught her red handed pillaging a couple of the lockers for some personal stuff for her and Maureen. Finally, she replied, “Sorry Bossman. I found a bunch of women’s sized BDUs and a couple of field jackets that will work for Maureen and myself. They probably are not going to be making anything like this for a while and the men’s stuff just does not fit right for us ladies. Is that cool?’

Melvin asked, “Is there anymore of the women’s stuff in those lockers? We have a bunch more ladies that would probably like to have them if there are any others. That is a good observation and one that had never crossed my mind, about lady clothes and men’s fitting differently.”

Gretchen replied, “There is one more locker with the women’s clothing that I saw before for sure. It would probably fit Celeste, Sandy, Nancy, Penelope, or maybe Rosa. Probably not even Rosa, now that I think about her build. I think it is too small for any of the other ladies in our group. We probably should get it. Here, Melvin can you take this bag if you can, I will get the other sets of BDU’s. Should I throw one of the men’s lockers BDU’s in there. I noticed that Tony does not have any of those type clothes and he is a little tall and lanky. I saw one of the lockers that looked like it had pants that were extra-long like he would wear.”

Melvin replied, “I will get the bag and good catch on Tony. You are right about Tony and Nancy. They just got out of their home basically with the clothes on their backs. Grab all the clothes, shoes, boots, and jackets out of that locker hopefully they will all fit.” Getting a nod of approval from Gretchen he picked up her duffel bag, one of the H&K MP-5 SD he hung over his shoulder by its sling with the drag bag. Loaded down like a beast of burden, Melvin headed out of the locker-room towards the back lot at a slow but steady pace.

Walking away he said, “Gretchen, I am coming back after you if you are not outside by the Nissan in two minutes. Do not let any grass grow up around your feet. Move it, trooper.” All spoken as he walked away carrying a load that most pack mules would be staggering under. Once he got outside, he threw Gretchen’s bag in the backseat of the Nissan and went to his truck with the sniper rifle and the duffel with the Ruger revolvers and the 338 Lapua Magnum rifle round hand-loads for the McMillan TC-338. By the time he had loaded the rifle drag bag into the back seat of Jessica’s Ford F-550 he saw Gretchen coming out of the back door of the police station heading for the Nissan truck she was going to be driving. Satisfied that she was out of the building he went to find Jessica and see if she was ready to blow this popsicle stand. Walking towards her his stomach growled like an angry and starving wolf was inside. This cuing Melvin to try and recollect when was the last time he eaten, bathed, or slept for that matter.

As fate and good fortune would have almost exactly twenty-six minutes later, the bikers were leaving town. At that same moment the HUMVEE was pulling into the Police station back lot from delivering the Sergeant on his way to Columbia by way of the Ninety-Six highway. Maureen pulled the HUMVEE around to the back of the Sheriff Station and to the head of the convoy, as instructed by Jimmy and directed by Jack. Melvin was on the radio with Owen back at the Castle explaining to him that the Cudd team would be leaving the Station in the next few minutes. As they were speaking Melvin gave Jimmy a round ‘em up signal waving his arm in a tight circle above his head. Seeing an acknowledgement from Jimmy, Melvin opened the door of Jessica’s truck and got into the four door Ford F-550 with Jessica. Starting the truck and putting it in gear while holding his foot on the brakes. Returning to his conversation with Owen, he told him they were moving out and should be back to the Castle within the next thirty minutes or less. He added that instead of three trucks there would be a convoy of their three trucks, a HUMVEE, a five-ton pulling a fuel trailer and two large tractor trailer rigs. Explaining that they would need all hands-on deck when they got back to help off-load and park vehicles away from prying eyes.

Finished relaying their ETA to Owen, Melvin re-keyed his mike on the team channel and said, “Maureen, let the big trucks go by you and your HUMVEE. I have the convoy lead with Kevin, and Robby Senior in the other F-550 behind me. Then the big trucks with Jimmy, Jack, and Laurens driving. Gretchen since you are all by yourself in Patrick’s Nissan find a hole in the middle of the pack. Maureen, you have our tail-end Charlie, copy.”

Maureen replied, “Bossman, the HUMVEE has the tail gunner position and covering six for convoy, over.”

Melvin let his foot off the brake and applied light pressure to the fuel pedal, the big diesel turbos started winding up and the F-550 started rolling forward out of the back lot of the station. The big pickup leading the convoy heading home. Checking his rear-view mirror to see if the rest of Team Cudd Castle was following and said, “Move out Team Mike and Team Echo and follow Actual, fifty feet spacing, over and out.”

As the Cudd Convoy was moving back towards the lake and home, back at the Castle Adan had moved the truck and trailer inside the building. Adan backed the truck and trailer right past the cooking area towards the back of the Castle but in the corner out of the way. Elizabeth had shown him where she wanted it parked. Celeste was on her way with Debra to show her the infirmary and their trauma patient. Elizabeth had started making the combination dinner and supper for the only meal of the afternoon and evening. Pauline and Patrick were sitting at the large eighteen foot long conference table that had been converted to an eating table. Pauline looked across at Patrick and asked, “Where did you all come by this big kitchen table? It might be the biggest table I have ever seen.”

Pauline’s question had caught Patrick with a large bite of peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich stuck to the roof of his mouth. He held up his right hand with his pointer finger sticking straight up in the universal one second motion. Finishing chewing his large bite of sandwich, he replied, “It is not really a dining room table. It was a conference table we found it in the large conference room where the Gonzalez family, Henry, Julia, and Rosa have taken over and are using as their bedroom and living area. We needed someplace for us to meet and eat so we improvised, adapted, and overcome as my uncle would say and now it is the Cudd Circle dining room table.” Finished talking he took another large bite of his first sandwich, finishing it off and reached for his second one lying in front of him on the table. While never averting his eyes from the large and beautiful Amazonian warrior sitting across from him also eating a PB&J sandwich.


Elizabeth was cutting any eyes off some of the new potatoes that had been brought by Adan and Debra. Dropping the potatoes into twenty-five-gallon Carolina Cooker Waxed Stew Pot sitting in the fire ring. She had already thrown into the pot a large bunch of carrots and cut in quarters five big onions from the new supplies delivered by the newest additions to the Cudd Circle. Adan had given her five large rutabagas that she was not sure about adding them to her stew as she had never eaten them before. Adan sensing her hesitance said, “They are pretty much like a turnip only they are savorier when cooked than turnips. To peel them cut them in half first and that makes the skin easier to remover. They will add a good taste and make the stew very hearty as they will help thicken the broth. They work better with beef than chicken to me but either will work. I think everyone will enjoy the fresh vegetables whatever you do. I am sure glad that we were able to come to this place. I know I told you before, but know that we are thankful for the opportunity. I am going to set up our tent in one of the offices. I will need some help to get the wife’s Great Majestic wood cook stove. That thing is a back breaker at the best of times. I figure it can sit till tomorrow, when hopefully we will have everyone back inside the fences.” Adan turned and headed back to his trailer to get back to work.

Elizabeth was still debating on the rutabagas when Julia walked up and asked, “Corn bread or flat bread for the stew…?

Awaiting an answer, Julia noticed the rutabagas laying on the stainless-steel food preparation table in front of Elizabeth and continued, “We have fresh Rutabagas they are muy bueno. My family we love them, but they are hard to find around here sometimes.”

Elizabeth, on hearing Julia’s opinion she guessed the stew was getting the weird root vegetable added. Elizabeth picked up the first rutabaga and answered, “Julia, either is fine on the corn or flat bread. You decide but remember we probably need to make twice as much or more than we usually have been making. We have seven new people with the Godley’s and two more with Adan and his wife Debra. That and we have not had but breakfast this morning before the sun came up. I know Melvin, Eddie, and Jimmy along with the others are starving right now. I was going to make this whole twenty-five-gallon pot of stew. I probably already put five pounds of new potatoes, a few pounds each of carrots and onions. Then you see these rutabagas probably at least three pounds of them and probably more like four from the feel of them. I put dang near twenty bouillon cubes in here to start along with a bunch of dried pepper flakes. I have a big deer roast that I am going to cut up in cubes to brown before I put them in the pot. I might even put a few cans of Niblet corn and maybe some cans of sweet peas to stretch it out a little. We have a lot of both the corn and peas in our stores. What do you think…?” Continuing to peel the rutabagas as she waited on an answer form Julia.

Julia replied, “I think I will make both corn bread and a big stack of flat bread cakes. I think you need to add the corn and the peas and maybe a couple of cans of tomatoes. Our men and women warriors need to eat to keep up their strength, that and your Ninas. We can always keep it stewing if it is not all eaten. Mr. Melvin, Eddie, Jimmy, Patrick, and my Henry will finish it off before breakfast probably.” Getting out the flour, cornmeal, powdered milk, Crisco, and some whole egg powder along with a large mixing bowl to make the breads for the Cudd Circle family. Sitting all the ingredients onto the preparation table across from Elizabeth she started making the flour mixture and cornmeal mixture for the flat bread and cornbread. Thinking for a minute she walked back to her new home and retrieve a large glass jar of pickled jalapenos peppers for the cornbread. Back in the kitchen area, she asked, “I think I will make some Mexican cornbread. That is if you have another can of the whole kernel corn for me to use. We have the peppers for the cornbread. I would like some and I am sure that Melvin and Patrick would along with Henry and my Rosa. If that is good?”

Elizabeth just looked up from cutting up the deer roast and replied, “Now Julia, you know you do not have to ask after all this time. Now don’t cha.”

Julia shrugged her shoulders and answered, “Yes, I do. Old habits die hard, Elizabeth. I did not have it so good in my country, before you know.”

As the two cooking ladies were talking, Patrick and Pauline were finishing their snack come meal. Right down the road the Cudd Circle convoy was making the right hand turn off Highway 221 onto the farm to market road. The road would lead to the turnoff to the secondary road the former industrial manufacturing plant that was now the site of the Cudd Castle. The convoy was less than ten minutes from the safety of the Castle. The convoy making good time and would be five minutes from the turn off in normal times. Melvin keyed his radio and said, “Charlie Charlie Oscar One, comeback.”

A split second later in the Cudd Castle infirmary, Celeste introduced the Cudd Circle’s newest member to Rosa and Penelope, the young ladies tasked with watching the young lady in the infirmary. The young lady that had been rescued from the biker and gangbangers by Melvin and his team a few days prior. The lady that they now knew her name was April and not much else except that she had been put through hell by the gang members. Debra walked over to the bed and looked to Penelope and asked in a very accusatory voice, “Why is the patient restrained? I demand to be told now.”

Celeste started to speak saying, “Shhh…” and was cut off by a high-pitched yell by Debra before she could finish her first word.

Debra hollered, “I was not speaking to you. So shut the heck up. I am taking charge of this patients care right this minute. It is evident that she has been tortured and I will not stand by and let that happen under my watch. This young lady will answer me I do not need to hear any propaganda answer from you. Now talk Penelope, I think was your name.” Reaching for her revolver and unbuckling her leather holster snap. Celeste was in a state of shock and could not move. It was as if she was temporally paralyzed from the bewildering outburst and turbulent reaction from the newest member of the Circle.

Rosa who had stepped to the door, hoping to get a bathroom break while there were others in the room. Ms. Jessica had told them they were to always have two people in the room for their own protection. Rosa pulled her pistol from her holster and stepped back into the room. Rosa indexed her pistol into a modified Weaver shooting position just as she had been shown by Patrick and her father. Obtaining a good sight picture she calmly announced her presence saying, “I know you are new here. But if you want to stay here at the Castle and be part of the Cudd Circle you are going to have to learn to play better with other. Now please take your hand away from your weapon and step away from April and Penny. I would hate to have to make your husband a widower on his first day here. Now real slow like, move.”

Penelope moved away from her station by the patient’s bed towards Celeste and out of the line of fire. As she moved, she keyed her mike and said, “All stations we have a situation in the infirmary. Need help now. Please, please….”

At the same moment as Penelope speaking, Owen keyed his handset and replied, “Comeback, Tango Mike Actual, read you five by five…. Correction, hold one or two, Actual have situation, over.” Owen took off running like he had many times when Smoke had been in a wreck on the track. The crew chief come radio operator sprinting as fast as he could towards the infirmary to provide any help he could. Owen knew he was the closes member of the family to the infirmary as most everyone was on duty at their assigned fighting position. He made it to the infirmary just as Celeste regained her grasp on reality and was followed closely behind by Patrick and Pauline. Entering the room as Celeste pulled her weapon and pointed at the lady standing by the bed of the young lady who looked sound asleep to Owen.

Celeste said, “Now, we need everybody to bring it down a notch. Now Debra, listen to me carefully. I do not know what your major malfunction is here and now. But this is what is going to happen. You are going to move your hands away from your weapon as Rosa has told you too. Then I want you to place them behind your head and interlock your fingers….”

Celeste waited for the Nurse Practioner’s compliance, then rethinking the situation continued her directions, “Reach down with your left hand real slow and unbuckle your gun-belt and let it slid down to the floor. Then take your foot and real gentle like patting a newborn baby’s back for a burp push it away from yourself towards me. Do you understand? If you do, just nod your head up and down. Then do what I said.” Debra looked like she could bite a sixteen-penny nail in to but she nodded her head and reached down and undone her gun-belt and kicked it over to Celeste as ordered by the calm but pissed off lady pointing a gun at her. She now had by her count six weapons pointed at her including a couple of rifles.

Celeste said, “Now would you please tell me just what bee has gotten in your bonnet. One minute we were talking about how proud you were to be here at the Castle and the next minute you are a psycho Nazi maniac. So please tell me. What the crap and please use little words like for a third grader so we do not have any more misunderstandings today. If you can do that, then maybe, just maybe we can go eat some stew and put this down as your family Mulligan. Act stupid again, and there will be a much different ending to this little drama. I will personally shoot you grave yard dead and never lose one minutes sleep and while I am on the subject do not ever tell me to shut up again or any other member of the Cudd Circle for that matter. Got that?”

Pauline reached with her foot and pulled the gun-belt from in front of Celeste never getting in Celeste’s line of fire and never removing the barrel of her weapon from it being on Debra. Picking up the newcomer’s weapon belt she looked to Owen and said, “Owen please stay here and keep Celeste and these young lady’s company. Patrick and I are going to round up the good Doctor’s husband. We would not want him barging in on this situation and making it worst, now would we. No, I do not think so.”

Pauline answering her own rhetorical question, then she gave her new young warrior friend a follow me motion and headed towards the trailer where she had been watching Adan putting up the newcomers tent while she had been finishing her sandwich. Thinking they sure did not live a boring existence at the Castle. Smiling inside she told herself, my kind of rodeo. This is gonna be fun, kinda like Kandahar on a Saturday night. Nodding to Patrick she turned and walked out of the infirmary with Patrick right on her heels. Not twenty steps out of the infirmary on their way to the part of the Castle where they expected to find Adan. They both at the same time saw Adan heading towards them. Thinking quick Pauline said, “Adan we were coming to see if we could help you with setting up your tent. We had just finished eating a sandwich when we heard the commotion in the infirmary. They have everything under control now. It was a miscommunication; your wife was startled by the young lady that is our patient. She was sexually tortured and we must keep her sedated as every time she wakes up, we think she thinks she is still captive by the gangs and goes a little crazy trying to get away. I guess she saw her strapped down and did not understand it was for the safety of the people trying to help the patient and the patients on good. I think Celeste and her have it figured out now. Now after all that, what can we do to help. We are at your service at least until the others get back. Then we will probably have to be in a debrief, off-load the trucks or help with guard duty while others are in the meeting.”

Patrick was thinking great save Pauline. He did not think Adan had a clue that the story Pauline had just told was mostly true but a complete lie or at least a version of the truth that left out anything about guns being drawn. It was as he was thinking that they had him fooled. Adan asked, “If there is no problem why do you have my wife’s gun-belt hanging over your shoulder? I think your name was Pauline and do not dare lie to me again.”

Elizabeth and Rosa both were watching the confrontation between Pauline, Patrick and Adan and decided they would move to interrupt the confrontation. The two ladies were about ten steps from Adan when he reached for his sidearm. Elizabeth drew her Cz-75 SP-01 indexing it on Adan and said, “Adan, I would take my hand away from that Beretta real slow like. That boy there is almost like the son I never had to me and I sure am not going to let you pull a weapon on him in our home. Now I do not know what is going on here or in the infirmary. I do know that if you try to pull that weapon you will never know the answer, period end of sentence and your life. I am pretty good and so is Ms. Julia who also her pistol on you too. We cool…?”

Julia had drawn her weapon when she saw Elizabeth draw her pistol. Hearing her steely words told her she needed to have it aimed at the new guy. She dropped to her knee and pointed her pistol at him as her dear Henry had showed her for shots with a pistol more than twenty feet Julia was about twenty-five feet away from the target she thought, so training memory took over her actions. While Elizabeth had the attention of Adan, thinking tactically like Melvin and Eddie had explained to him many nights in their late-night teaching sessions since they had been at the Castle. Patrick took the opportunity to take a step away from Pauline and bring his H&K 416 SBR on line with Adan.

Pauline noticing the young warrior move away on a tangent to her position and lift his rifle up to his firing position, she thought, well done Patrick and gave him a smile that would have broken his mind had he have noticed it. Patrick only had one thing on his mind the floating red dot on his EOTECH 512 that was centered on Adan’s center mass.

Adan trying to stay calm, slowly moved his hand away from his weapon and moved both hands over his head. Pauline said, “Good choice, Adan. The truth is your wife caused a ruckus in the infirmary when she saw our patients wounds and that she was strapped into her bed. I think she thought we were abusing the patient not treating her. I am not sure how she got there as Celeste took her to see the young lady to see if she could help her more than we have been able to. I am thinking maybe she has been traumatized at sometime or at least some one she knows or treated. I do not really know. Patrick and I were coming to cut you off as the situation has been defused for the moment. You know kinda like this one here. Now, do we need to take your gun away from you so you do not act a fool or can you be a gentleman? Either way before you ask you are not going to the infirmary and maybe re-ignite that situation. What will it be, Adan?” She saw the fight flow out of Adan’s body. Hoping it was not a ploy by the farmer.

Adan replied, “I can be a gentleman. Can I put my arms down this is beginning to be uncomfortable? I have an old shoulder injury.”

Paulie said, “Of course you can. To make me fill better clasp your hands together and interlace your fingers in front of your body before you bring your hands down to waist level. I think we can live with that compromise if you can?” Pauline watched him like a hawk watching a corn field being harvested for the rats to run out into the open.

Adan had four sets of eyes on his every move and he could fill it. He moved his hands together and interlaced his fingers as ordered by the large woman. Who he was sure if none of the rest would shoot him, she would and not blink an eye. If he had to bet, he would bet that at least three of the four with weapons pointing at him would do the same. The Hispanic looking lady kneeling and aiming at him was fifty-fifty probably the other two were at least eighty percent on they would shoot him in his analysis of the shoot dynamics. Those are house odds on any gambling table and the house always wins. Adan asked, “What do we do now?”

Pauline said, “Now, Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Julia can go back to working on the Cudd Circle family’s supper. It was already going to be late. You on the other hand I think probably need something else to occupy your mind and hands. We are going over to finish setting up your living quarters, if that is good for you? Elizabeth and Julia, we got this you can head back to the kitchen and your hard work.” All said without taking her eyes off Adan for a second.

Elizabeth said, “Come on Julia we have stew and bread to make for our people.” Julia slowly stood up from her firing position and started backing away from the situation without ever taking her pistol off Adan.

Back in the infirmary, Debra was highly aware of the bucket of shite she had managed to step into and sink up to her neck and almost drawn. For the life of her she could not figure out how she had added one plus one and got three-hundred and forty-seven. Elizabeth and Celeste had in fact told her about the patient and had even mentioned the fact that she had been raped and brutalized by the bikers and gangbangers. Going so far as to ask her to look in on the patients and see if she could provide any help to the patient. They had been trying for some time and had not been able to reach her and soothe her mental condition. Her only thought was that seeing the state of obvious abuse the young girl had received. That that was still readily apparent even after continuous treatment for a few days from the group. Her best guess was that her reaction was from the fear and stress she and Adan had been under the last few weeks had come crashing down on seeing the girl and thinking it could have been her or Adan. It was with those thoughts keenly in her mind she started her reply to Celeste and the others still in the room. Debra started, “First off, I am greatly apologetic for my actions. Your group has been nothing but great in letting us come here to be part of the group. No, I think you describe the Cudd Circle as family. Secondly, the only reason that even I can come up with is, Adan and I have been so worried the last few weeks with our friends and neighbors getting attacked that when I saw April lying there and obviously sedated and strapped in my brain told me that could have been me. I was not going to let it be me or happen to anyone else if I could change the outcome. My mind for whatever reason short circuited or something and came to the conclusion that you were holding April against her will and were the reason or cause of her suffering and abuse. I do not know, is all that I can say for my defense. Rightly, I do not have a defense it was just a bad decision on my part and could have cost me and or some of you your lives with my error in judgement and the actions it caused me to take. There is no excuse for my actions, nor do I really have a reason that makes any sense even to me to justify the way that I acted. Actions that have resulted in the peril in which I find myself now in for those deeds. I just ask that you do not hold my mistake against Adan or Zaida.”

Celeste keyed her mike and said, “Jerome or Smoke, comeback.”

Jerome was the first to answer, saying, “This, is Jerome. What’s up?” Wondering why Celeste was calling him on the radio. He did not think that he had ever talked with her on the radio and for that matter only a couple of times around the table while eating. Thinking about that it was more like her asking him to pass the pepper or the tea pitcher for those conversations.

Celeste replied, “Jerome, get Zaida and bring her to me in the infirmary, please. I think she may be out at the road front OP now. Not sure, find out from Smoke he always knows where everybody is somehow or another. Do you copy?”

Jerome replied, “Get Zaida and bring to infirmary. I will call you back with ETA when I locate and get a replacement if she is on the OP. Over and out.”

As Jerome was trying to locate Smoke and then find out the where abouts of Zaida, Melvin was leading the Cudd Circle Convoy team in the F-550 into over grown entrance road to the Cudd Castle. As he made the right hand turn into the entrance way, he commented to Jessica saying, that hasty paint job that your dad supervised has really helped with covering and breaking up the outline of the building. I cannot even see the building anymore even knowing where to look. Before it was obvious without even knowing where to look. If you looked above the tree line you noticed the building outline and could follow it picking out the building shape easily.” The convoys arrival back to the BOL was being announced by Zaida from the front roadside OP to the Cudd Circle members over the all-comms channel.

Jessica looked towards the building and could not really see it through the trees and replied, “I did not see if it stood out before, so I cannot say as to how much better it is now. I was not able to make out any building like pattern though and I knew where to look. The outline is completely broken by the camo.”

Hearing that the convoy was entering the grounds, Trenton started to the Lull to move the jersey barriers blocking the inter gate. He was met at the Lull by Tony who was already in the machine and starting it to do the same. Trenton said, “Tony, I will get the gate unlocked and opened. That way you want have to get off the lift. I will open the first gate and then go to the outer gate and get the lock undone. I will not open it till the first truck is at the gate and the complete convoy is through the maze and ready to enter the first gate. After they are through, I will close and lock the first gate and then the second and you can replace the barriers. That work for you?”

Tony replied, “Works for me. That way I can just keep the lift running and one of the barriers l on the forks, you know just in case.” Tony started moving the Lull towards the front gate and followed Patrick who had taken off at a fast jog towards the gate. After Trenton unlocked and opened the gate, he hopped over the jersey barrier and headed to the outer gate. Spinning the tumblers on the big Master lock and setting the combination to double zero seven one. Then pulled down on the lock and felt it open. Leaving the lock in the chain he looked up to see the big F-550 diesel of Jessica’s approaching the gate. He could clearly see the Circle leader Melvin driving the big truck with Jessica riding shotgun. The trucks behind them were some kind of large truck in green, brown, and dark grey camo pattern with a big trailer attached. The thing looked like a big monster to the young Cudd Circle warrior. Trenton watched as the convoy all came through the barrier maze and pulled to a stop. Trenton pulled the lock and removed the chain, then opened the big double gate and waved for Melvin to pull up to the gate. Stopping Melvin, Trenton said, “Lillipution….”

Melvin smiled at Trenton and replied, “Jack Black….” If there had been anything wrong or the convoy was compromised in any way the answer would have been Jack Green. Jimmy had come up with the system, saying nobody liked Jack Daniels Green Label. It was the obvious choice for the bad juju answer. Explaining also that the Jack Black was a double entendre, it was his favorite drink and Jack Black was the actor that played Lemuel Gulliver in the 2010 movie version of Gulliver’s Travels. Melvin had just shaken his head in amazement at the antics and mind of his best friend and partner in the before world.

Trenton looked to Melvin and said, “Good to have you back Melvin and you to Ms. Jessica. I guess I mean everybody back. I assume that there are none of our team that needs medical attention. If not then pull on through and we will figure out where to put all the new monster trucks and stuff. I will get the gates as the last one enters the Castle grounds, sir.”

Melvin put the big truck in gear and started forward, keying his mike he said, “Pull the HEMTT’s up to the docks and we will figure out what we need to do about unloading the cargo. We can do that after we get the gates buttoned up and the outside OP recalled. Then we can get some hot chow. Does that sound good to everyone?” A chorus of Roger that, yessir Bossman and when do we eats came over the radio in answer to his questions.

As the last truck was parked and the Cudd Convoy occupants and drivers were getting out of their vehicles; back inside the Cudd Castle, Celeste had explained to Debra that as far as she was concerned, they were all good. She had added that she had taken the Bond’s family mulligan and it would not happen again without any repercussions. Zaida added, “Debra, I am not sure what happened to your sense of judgement today. I have always known you to be level headed and a good judge of character. These are good people and like Celeste just said, you screw up again and I will oversee taking care of the Cudd Circle business. This was just not acceptable behavior and whether you meant it or not everything we do has the possibility of having unintended consequences. This was one of those times when peoples’ lives could have been the results of those consequences. You understand and I will explain the situation to Adan just so he gets the real explanations and we do not have another misunderstanding. Capeesh!” Sending a message to her sister-in-law in a no-nonsense facial expression and voice tone that said do not start none there will not be none.

After finally getting the convoy inside and the big trucks backed up to the loading dock portals, Trenton closed and locked the gates after Tony returned the jersey barriers back to blocking entrance into the Castle. Melvin assembled his team and said, “Today, we met the enemy and through our preparations, fortitude, and I think most importantly divine intervention we were successful in defeating the DHS thugs. We also were able to diminish at a minimum the capabilities of the biker and gang members. We all know what that bunch was capable of with what we witnessed at the lake. I say welcome to Hell to all of them. I want to take that one step farther and say that we all did good today and for most of us it was the first time we had pulled the trigger of our weapons with malice and bodily harm as the goal. I am not a shrink but I do think that we should not dwell on any of this again ever. I will be available if anyone would like to talk and we have a couple of medical people, Jessica, Brenda, and I am not sure of Zaida’s sister-in-law’s name but they will be available to talk. My advice is let it go. We did a good thing today and returned to home to our loved ones and fellow Cudd Circle family and that is all that matters that we need to remember….”

Taking a moment to let his words vibrate through the team, he got his breathing and emotions back under control and continued, “With that all being said, we need to get some hot food, weapons cleaned and ready to fight, re-supplied with ammo, then I do not know about you all but I need a shower and some sleep. We will get the trucks un-loaded and other stuff taken care of later. Probably tomorrow, Circle I am not sure what else to say. I think in the service they would say, DISMISSED!”

The group gave a resounding yell of thanks and most went their separate ways looking for their loved ones or just a place to lay their heads. Eddie going to find Elizabeth and the girls, Henry to find his dear Julia and Rosa, Bobby Sr, Junior, and Naomi to find Pauline, Sam, Erica, and Brenda. Gretchen was on a mission to find Smoke and have that talk, they had decided to have earlier and maybe some more adventurous activities if she had her way. Maureen and Laurens just eased off heading for their special place.
With everyone going their own way after being dismissed, Jessica, Jack, and Kevin just walked over to stand with Melvin. They all had a good hug of joy for their success and that all had come back without a scratch. Jessica said, “I know I was just there for a small portion of the time. The Adrenalin charge has zapped me of any energy that I have in my body. That and I think my blood sugar may be a little low….” She smacked herself on top of her head and continued, “On that note we probably should get everyone into the infirmary and do some physicals to the best of our abilities. At least get charts made for everyone with blood types and any pre-existing medical conditions. Just see what medicines everyone takes or needs. I know Dad you are going to need your Metformin. Me thinking about my blood sugar was what made me think about your diabetes medicine. I am sure we probably have others with meds. The good thing for you as you are borderline on your diabetes and can mostly control it with your diet. Also, just for the record I need that bath you were talking about, Melvin. That and a soft pillow and my bed sounds wonderful.”

As the group of returning Cudd Castle members was breaking up, back in the infirmary everyone but Rosa and Pennie were leaving the room. Walking out the door, Celeste heard Jimmy say, “Hey beautiful.” Her heart jumped into her throat and she could not respond. She had been so busy while he was away that she had not realized how worried she was about Jimmy and the rest of the family members who had been gone to fight the DHS goons and the bikers. She just went to Jimmy and buried her head into his shoulder for a few seconds then gave him a big long kiss and said, “Jimmy, I love you honey but you need a bath like yesterday. You most definitely cannot come and eat with us smelling like dead rats and wild onions or a skunk’s butt whichever is worse.” Pushing her lover away in mock horror of his body odor. Her antics got a big laugh from all that were within hearing distance and it was just what they needed. A lot of killing had been done and every one of the Cudd Circle teams had done their fair share.

Kevin said, “Come on dad, we need to head for the showers and get there first. Then I want to get something to eat. After that I saw some things on the back of one of the big trailers that I think we need to get off, pronto. I am pretty sure I saw a bunch of full deployment kits for team weapons and that would have night vision optics and suppressor for all the weapons. I really think we can upgrade our weapons for everybody or at least most of our people that will be going outside the wire. That and I know that there was a couple of heavy weapons crates, in just a quick look through the one trailer. It there are heavy weapons like a Ma Deuce or maybe even some M72 LAWS rockets we need to get them ready to be used for defense of the Castle. The sooner the better, I think. We may have kicked a hornet’s nest today and we need to not let down our guard with the big win today. Ever vigilante, I think is a phrase I read somewhere in my prior studies of war….” Grinning from ear to ear he continued, “All that and I want one of those McMillan TC-338 precision rifles we found in the Sniper hides. You know finders’ keepers and all is fair in love and war type stuff.”

Jack hrummped replied, “Well son, I gave one of those rifles to Robby Sr. since he left his long-range rifle back in Fayetteville. That only leaves one and the one Melvin found in the locker room. That I think he put in his future wife’s truck. I am guessing he had not planned on sharing it either.”

Melvin heard the conversation and replied, “No Kevin, I think that you having that weapon would be a better use of our resources. I know you are a much better rifleman than I will ever be. Unless you all found another stash of ammunition. We will need to share the rounds that I found in the locker-room. Lest Jack you have dies for reloading that is all we have for the three 338 Lapua Magnum shooting rifles.”

Jack replied, “Each sniper had about sixty plus rounds on their web gear in magazines or in their drag bags. Each had a few empty magazines. I think they all had the same load-out as the one you found in the locker. There is probably some more rounds in one of the trucks, I would bet a week’s pay. We do need to see if we can recover some dies for the round from one of the local stores or maybe Jimmy’s friend. That is if he is still around. Probably need to be able to reload for fifty-caliber too. I do not have the stuff to do it either.”

Melvin mimicked like he was writing it down and said, “Putting that on my to do list with going back to the Tractor Supply and getting the feed. Probably need to see if we can locate a pharmacy, Doctor’s office or a hospital and see about maintenance medicines for our people. Like yours Jack. Dang, there are just not enough hours in the day.”

Jessica jumped in and said, “We have more people now and maybe they can share and lighten the load. I am sure the Godley’s will help with the trip to Tractor Supply to get feed. Do not forget we still need to make another trip back to their farm and get the remaining feed from their silos. As the main Cudd family physician I am going to recommend that we have fifty percent down time for the next two days for everyone that has been out on the attacks and thirty-three percent down time for those who have been maintaining the readiness level for the defense of the Castle while everyone was away. What do you all think?”

Melvin replied, “I think the down time is a good idea. I think we draw everyone back inside the gates except for the OP out by the road and get everyone a little R and R if possible. That is what I think. Jack and Kevin, thoughts?” They both nodded in the affirmative.

Kevin said, “Come on Pops we need to get them showers before all the hot water is gone.”

Jack replied, “I am all for a hot shower. With the additional power we are now generating we should not have to worry about hot water anymore. I think that we need to recover all the solar power at the Sheriff’s Office if possible. I think their setup is even better than ours. If not, it is equal in size. Come on son.” Father and son took off towards the shower after Kevin and Jack picked up the McMillan rifle and the ammunition.

Melvin said, “Before you leave Jack, great job on the camo paint work on the building. I do not know if you looked on the way into the Castle, but I did. You cannot see the building outline anymore. Again, great work!”

Jack replied, “The great job goes to Tony, Smoke and especially that little spider money niece of yours Sandy. They did all the heavy lifting and once Smoke showed them how to do the shadowing it went well. We still have the bottom to complete. We may be able to do that from the ground and it will be even quicker.” Then he turned and headed in with Kevin.

Jessica and Melvin got a big laugh out of the two family members acting like they were stealing the rifle. Going to the opposite side of the truck to hide their actions. Jessica still grinning said, “I hope you do not hold it against me that my brother and dad too for that matter are totally crazy. I must admit it runs in the family because I am crazy about you, big fellow. Take me to bed and ravage me my love. We will do that right after we shower. We do smell bad, my dear and you do not even have to be close to figure it out.”

Melvin reached over and grabbed his wife to be and picked her up off her feet and said, “That is my animal love musk and do not say it does not excite you because I see it in your eyes. It is about to knock you right off your feet.”

Jessica laughed and replied, “You are right Melvin, the stink is about to make me pass out. Now put me down before your smell kills me. We need to get in and find a shower ourselves. Now put me down.” Melvin hearing her protest just took off running towards the Castle door. Holding her tight to his chest like carrying a small child as he ran. Laughing like a kid himself and kind of dancing like playing in the rain. People who did not know him well might have thought the big guy was having a breakdown. His laughter was infectious and Jessica joined her lover laughing like a hyena. As they went through the door into the Castle headed towards their room, Melvin waved at Elizabeth and Julia in the cooking area and hollered, “Smells good Eli and Ms. Julia save me a big bowl and don’t let Jimmy and Eddie eat it all.”

Julia answered, “We not start till you get back here to say the blessings of our food and all our men and ladies return. It will be ready in about fifteen minutes though and we are outnumbered, so andale, andale. We have hungry people to feed.”

About fifteen minutes later, Melvin and Jessica emerged from the shower area and headed back to their room. On the bed were a clean pair of DuluthFlex Fire Hose Ultimate pants in the Gunmetal color that were Melvin’s favorite color. His shirt was a Nike Pro Dri-FIT Tight long sleeve shirt in a dark gray. His socks were laying with the other clothes along with a Carhartt Rugged relaxed fit flannel lined button up over work shirt. Melvin started putting on his clothes while watching and admiring Jessica’s form as she dressed in much the same type work attire. He was thinking that he was truly blessed to have this beautiful and smart women as his mate. Jessica caught him starring and said, “Not now Tiger. We need to go eat and make our appearances as the Cudd Circle leaders. I promise I am just as ready as you are to have some private time. Tonight, we will do just that. You okay with that?”

Melvin smiled and said, “A man cannot live on bread alone. I can wait though. We probably do need to hurry. I want to get in front of Patrick, Eddie and Jimmy in the line or we might not get anything. Maybe since we are the leaders we can go to the front of the line. You know a good leader is supposed to lead from the front.”

Jessica smacked him on the back while she laughed and it sounded like heaven to Melvin and then she said, “I do not think that is what that phrase was referring to, Melvin. Now get dressed and quit looking at my back side or we may be late for sure.” Smiling a demure smile over her shoulder at Melvin and swaying her backside at her lover. All done with just the right amount of mirth and seduction to show her love and affection and not come off as a tease.

Everyone that was not scheduled to man a post was assembled in the dining area waiting for the arrival of Melvin and Jessica. Zaida had already spoken with Adan about the drama with Debra and explained to her brother that he needed to get her and keep his wife in check. Explaining that Celeste had already explained to her that she had already used their get out of jail card and there would not be a second one issued. At first Adan wanted to defend his wife’s honor and go and read Celeste the riot act. Zaida expounded that those type actions would not fly here in the new world with the Cudd family. Going on to clarify that they were all here at the grace of Melvin and his family. Going further to add that Celeste was part of the immediate Cudd family. Telling him that it really did not matter though. Celeste and Jimmy would be enough to ruin his day, even if Melvin, Jessica, Jack, Eddie, Kevin, Patrick, Sandy, or any of the others did not directly intervein. Going on to say that she had told Debra that Celeste would not have to administer any discipline that she would do it herself. Vehemently illustrating the fact that she was a member in good standing with the Cudd Circle and she took her admission into the family seriously. It was a gift that she had been given and she aimed to keep it and if it came to sending Debra and even her brother away to keep in good standing she would. Especially if they were in the wrong like Debra had been earlier, accusing the hand that had agreed to feeding her of being perverse and sadistic. Ending by saying, “I love you brother and I always will do not make me regret getting the Cudd’s to agree to you and her coming here to live. We cool?” Adan finally getting it, nodded his head in agreement and reached over and took Zaida’s hand and replied, “Love ya too, Sis. Yes, we are good or cool as you said.”

[gipsy]

Thanks for the update.

[dannab1]

Wow, that was certainly worth the wait. Great addition to the story!!

[CountryGuy]

Great segment!

Was wondering what happened with the loaded truck flipped on it's side at the Sheriffs office. Was it left for the crackhead gang bangers to pillage after they left?

[223shootersc]

Oct 26, 2023 20:28:59 GMT -6 CountryGuy said:

Great segment!

Was wondering what happened with the loaded truck flipped on it's side at the Sheriffs office. Was it left for the crackhead gang bangers to pillage after they left?

Countryguy,

it was left behind due to time constraints. The group wanted to get out of Dodge and back to the Castle before dark. They hoped it would still be there when they came back, if not they got the two big trucks of stuff and the fuel and all they could load onto their vehicles.  It was a choice like not taking the motorcycles and only taking the distributor caps.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you are enjoying!

223shootersc